Only Human After All
by Furiyan
Summary: We're all human, and we make mistakes. Some are more grievous than others. What matters is how we address those mistakes. Do we pretend they never happened, or do we stand up and take responsibility? It's a question Elsa has to ask herself before it's too late, because some mistakes are too painful, some wounds too deep to make it right. Then again, hope is always worth it.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Frozen, Rise of the Guardians, or any of the characters associated therein. The plot of this story is mine, though. Rated T for certain themes, may increase if necessary.**

 _This story is... sort of for me. I mean, you are all welcome to read, and review if you should so desire, but I pretty much wrote this for me. Inspired by "Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man, and almost exclusively typed on the phone. It was one of those things I kinda..._ had _to write, so it's probably naff._

 _Anyway, have at it._

* * *

 **"Only Human After All"**

Of all the things Elsa expected to happen in her life, standing in the middle of Arendelle Stadium was _not_ one of them.

Yet, there she was, as a testament to just how many curve balls life can throw, and how hard they hit.

But to find out precisely _why_ the reserved, stately, ordinarily think-first-act-later woman was surrounded by thousands of spectators, eyes wide with anxiety and clutching a microphone with white-knuckled hands, one has to go to only one place.

 **I. The Beginning**

It started, as these things often did, with a party. Elsa's younger sister, Anna Whitethorne, had just received news she was accepted into Arendelle College, much like Elsa three years before her. Such a momentous occasion was worth celebrating in the only way Anna knew how - a party.

At the Whitethorne house.

 _(Elsa's left eye had undergone a series of terrible twitches at that point.)_

Still, milestones like that only ever happen once, and though a massive social gathering wasn't exactly Elsa's cup of tea - coffee, soda, water, juice or extremely strong alcoholic beverage for that matter - she realised with reluctance that it was Anna's time to shine. So, Anna got her party.

Fifty-three people in their circle of friends, even friends of friends, got an invite.

Elsa got a night of flitting from room to room, ensuring everyone was safe and their needs were met, and that the family valuables were still safely stashed in her bedroom upstairs. Valuables like her mother's ring, silver with a heart-shaped ruby, one of the strongest connections to their deceased parents, and a visual reminder of her need to be their _'perfect girl'_. Elsa held little value in most material goods, but the ring was beyond precious.

So anxious and focused was she in ensuring none of the fifty three was liable to be injured, in danger, or throwing up, she wasn't exactly the life and soul of the party. Of course she preferred to stand at the sidelines and watch - but that was where her boyfriend Jack came in.

Parties were his forte, and entertainment was his _life's work._

Sure, he barely passed most of his high school finals, and just about scraped a successful application into Arendelle College. Certainly he was ' _immature',_ had a propensity for childish pranks and sometimes had the attention span of an errant gnat, but his heart was pure, and it was his heart Elsa was drawn to. He would consider a day ruined if he couldn't lift the spirits of one person, even if it was only a smile. His antics ranged from subtle to outright insane relative to the strength of gloom someone was under, and between Anna and Jack, there was never a moment in Elsa's life where she was under the weather for more than five minutes. Not that she'd ever tell him, but his smile had a way of turning her heart to mush.

 _(In a social environment, he was the beating heart of entertainment. If she was order, he was chaos - and together, harmony. It was little wonder they were going serious.)_

So, leaving Jack in the living room, stood on a table whilst imitating a moose with a pair of sticks on the sides of his head, Elsa had gracefully accepted a small glass of lemonade in the kitchen whilst nurturing the hope that, unlike most other college parties, nothing could go wrong. Even as Jack passed her on his way upstairs, shooting her that infuriatingly effective smile of his, she briefly considered letting her hair down, and joined the fun in the living room.

Several hours later, she was proven so, so wrong.

* * *

 **II. The Missing Ring**

Party long over, nearly all of the visitors had returned, or rather _staggered_ home. Jack and Astrid remained behind to assist in cleaning up the post-apocalyptic scene, as did Anna's boyfriend Kristoff and his project-mate Hans. Secure in her belief the ring was safely nestled away in the nondescript, mundane, unvarnished jewelry box sat in her bedroom, Elsa slept that night without a single worry.

As did those that stayed behind, with the exception of Hans and Jack, the former needing to study and the latter wanting to catch up on the new episode of _The_ _Exorcist._

It was when morning broke that, feeling the compulsion to check the ring was still there, Elsa realised something _had_ gone wrong.

It started as a minor concern, the kind one feels when they've misplaced their phone. The classic ' _it's here somewhere, I probably just left it somewhere and forgot about it'._ As the morning went on, with Astrid, Kristoff and Anna having been awoken by Elsa's ramblings of growing worry as she scoured the house, the minor concern intensified and intensified into a blossoming panic. Each vase was searched, every drawer opened. Nary a nook or cranny was not closely inspected by four pairs of eyes in pursuit of a small piece of jewellery, a silver ring with a heart-shaped ruby.

"Elsa," Anna had said, whilst Elsa was in the middle of crawling under her bed for the fifth time, "it's not here."

"It has to be!" was the reply.

"Sis, we've turned the house upside down." Anna's voice was muted, lost. Void of the nuclear excitement and energy it possessed several hours ago, whilst she was dancing with Kristoff. "If it _was_ here, we'd have found it."

The world rendered into a thin line by the floor and the bed, Elsa could see her sister's Converse sneakers shuffle over and over again, the way they did when she was thinking something awful. Something she didn't want to utter.

Astrid had no such compunction to hide the inconvenient truth, a brutal honesty that was starkly discomforting when they first met, but a foundation on which a best friendship of trust and loyalty was built.

"I think someone stole it."

* * *

 **III. Suspicion**

Of course, just because it was honesty didn't necessarily mean Elsa had to believe it - and for a time, she didn't. A handful of people knew of the ring's existence and even _fewer_ knew of its location: Anna, Kristoff, Elsa herself, and Jack. Four people with no reason to steal it, who Elsa deeply trusted.

 _(Except Kristoff, but he already passed Elsa's trademark vetting procedure before even thinking of taking Anna for their first date.)_

Which left forty-nine potential suspects,

Thus began Elsa's investigation later that day.

With luck, the vast majority of the partygoers were still on campus, and easily recognisable by the way they avoided bright lights like vampires in the daytime, leading to a simple case of stop-and-question between classes. Those that weren't on campus were then contacted by phone, especially if they didn't even _go_ to Arendelle College.

The answers were much the same; though most of them could barely recall a party in the first place, leading Elsa to question the culture of alcohol in an educational setting, none of them even knew of the ring's existence. Two of them had a vague memory of _a_ ring being mentioned by someone with a crazy disposition and a high pitched whine.

Several of them, Hans included, _did_ recall seeing Jack ascend the stairs at one point, but weren't sure if it was him, or if Danny Phantom had come to life.

Which left Elsa at square one. No-one knew of the ring, and she believed Jack would never betray her in such a way. Nursing a strong mocha, she stared out of the window looking out onto the parking lot, helpless in the knowledge that all her leads were exhausted and losing hope that she would ever find the precious heirloom again. Someone _had_ stolen it. Someone had taken her mother's engagement ring out of greed, caring not what their act had done to the Whitethorne sisters.

Even Jack couldn't lift her spirits, though his efforts with a slice of triple chocolate cake were admirable.

It wasn't until the following day, however, that Elsa found a new lead, from one of the most surprising people she could think of, someone whose advances she rebuffed whilst working up the courage to ask Jack Frost on a date. She had barely gotten out of her car when Hans approached her, worry in his eyes and agitation in his smooth voice.

"Elsa, do you have a moment? It's about your ring..."

Blinking, Elsa closed the driver's side door as she looked up at him, her attention wholly on his words. Could it be? Did he have new information - or did _he_ steal it, and was he confessing?

"Of course," she replied with a calm tone masking the anticipated waver.

Hans adjusted the shoulder strap of his backpack, and cast a glance over his shoulder at the main gates of the college. If it was supposed to pique Elsa's interest, it succeeded. "I didn't tell you this before," he said in a low, urgent tone, "because you weren't alone-"

Elsa frowned, and tilted her head. "Tell me what?"

"-I mean, it's probably nothing, some kind of wild goose chase or something, and there's probably a rational explanation for it-"

"Hans," Elsa said sharply, cutting his frankly irritating rambling short. "What do you know?"

He looked at her with uncertainty, most unlike the controlled, sometimes arrogant facade he usually wore. Uttering a deep sigh, he shot one further furtive glance over his shoulder, before looking back at her.

And his eyes radiated sympathy.

"Well, I told you that I saw Jack going upstairs - but what I didn't tell you was that I went up to use the bathroom, and I saw Jack coming out of your bedroom."

Her head recoiled, and she looked at him like he'd just said Kanye West's face was under the dictionary's entry of ' _humble'._ Jack? What possible reason could he have for coming out of her bedroom? It didn't make sense. Composing herself with a quick breath, she asked, "Was anyone else there?"

Hans shook his head, like his answer was not one he wanted to give her. "No. Like I said, it's probably nothing, but… thought you should know."

Elsa swallowed down the confusion. "No, thank you for telling me. I don't believe Jack would do such a thing. It's not like him."

Hans shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah. Totally get it. Anyway, I gotta get to my journalism class." He reached for her, in an action that caused a slight flinch, and touched her leather jacket-covered arm. "I hope it works out."

"Thank you," Elsa responded flatly. Hans gave her a smile, and took off toward the main door, leaving Elsa to wonder if he was telling the truth.

Or if Jack was. She did see him go upstairs, after all.

One thing was for sure, though. _Someone_ was lying.

* * *

 **IV. Seeds of Doubt**

"Think there's any truth to what Hans said?"

Rapunzel's question was probably intended as innocuous, but it was fuel for the tiny seed of doubt in Elsa's mind to grow. As she sat around the cafeteria table with Anna, Kristoff and Merida and herself on one side, and Astrid, her boyfriend Hiccup, and Rapunzel on the other, she stared silently at the glossy white surface while her mind ticked over. Hans had no reason to lie, but no reason to tell the truth, either. Sure, Jack could be whimsical on _(more than)_ one occasion and do things without telling anyone, but to think he could be responsible?

No. To think of Jack as a thief was incomprehensible.

"Nope." Anna vigorously shook her head. "Jack's a good guy."

Astrid interjected in her inimitably blunt, rude way. "You do realise he's stolen something before, right?"

At that, Elsa looked up from the table and fixed her gaze solely upon the golden blonde woman opposite, who was looking at Anna as though she'd grown a third head. Five pairs of eyes exchanged awkward glances, aside from Astrid and Elsa.

"He has?" Merida asked.

"Ayup." Astrid settled back into her chair, and stared impassively at each of them. "It was back in high school, and he was nearly suspended for stealing a conch shell necklace from Vanessa."

It was then Merida's turn to interject. "Oh, ye mean tha Vanessa that made Ariel's life a livin' hell, and stole the necklace from _her?_ Jack stole it from Bitchnessa ta return it ta Ariel."

That sounded like Jack, all right.

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. All I know is if he had no problems stealing before-"

"Are we _seriously_ debating this?" Anna said in sharp protest. "Jack's got no reason to do it! He _loves_ Elsa!"

Elsa felt the familiar burst of heat in her heart… but not as intensely as usual.

"Well, let's look at it with facts," Astrid said, and gestured to Elsa, who stared at her in silence. "You like facts, don't you?"

She held up three fingers. "My dad said three things make a crime. M.M.O."

Hiccup frowned at her. "Massively multiplayer-"

"Means, motive, opportunity, idiot," Astrid said in annoyance, which was further conveyed by an elbow to a yelping Hiccup's side. "Means: he has two hands, and pockets. Motive: he's been having financial trouble recently. Like, ramen and ketchup trouble."

"Um, hello-o-o?" Hiccup said, spreading his hands. "Where are we, again? We can't just jump to conclusions like this."

Kristoff nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Not everyone's rolling in the dough like Elsa and Anna." When the latter shot him a look, he hastily added, "Sorry, but it's true. Dude works, like, two jobs besides his teaching major."

"Doesn't help his case," Astrid said, bristling at their lack of belief. "And in case you didn't know, they're upping the fees next year. Our final year. Don't forget opportunity - everyone's distracted 'cause of the party. Ideal time - he just didn't bank on Hans seeing him."

"Yer not exactly Jack's biggest fan, though," Merida chimed in.

Astrid gave her a look. "No, you're right. I'm not. I've never tried to hide my dislike of him-"

Now that was one-hundred percent correct. The glares Astrid would regularly give him, could set any man on fire.

"-I think he's immature, childish, he cares more about fun than his college work, he doesn't realise what his pranks do, and Elsa deserves so much better than him. She deserves someone who can actually act like an adult, you know, like Tadashi. Jack is-"

"-the man I chose, Astrid." Elsa gave her a cold, unblinking look. If Astrid's glare could incinerate, Elsa's could freeze - and it was one of the few things that silenced the obstinate woman. "If you will not respect my boyfriend, you will _certainly_ respect my choice in the matter."

Astrid's gaze faltered, and for the first time since they took their seats an hour ago, she was unable to maintain eye contact, choosing instead to focus on Elsa's mug of mocha while she responded. "Fair enough. All I'm saying is… what little facts we have, all point to one person."

Silence fell over the table like a blanket of discomfort and unsaid words, awkward hesitation and unwelcome possibilities. Elsa's gaze fell to a patch of spilled soda in the centre whilst her mind ticked over. Astrid's dislike of Jack may be evident and somewhat skewing her narrative, but she had a point - and as much as she tried to ignore the so-called facts, they made some sense.

Still, it was Jack they were talking about. She _knew_ him.

"There's also the possibility Hans is lying," Rapunzel threw in. "We don't know that much about him. Kristoff - what's your take?"

The biggest person at the table shrugged, and spoke in the low, soft voice Elsa often found incongruent to a man of his size. "Does all his work on time, he's focused, calm. Tutor's pretty happy with him."

"Hey, guys! What's going on?"

A biological impossibility as it was, Elsa's heart leaped into her throat. Stiffening like a lightning rod at the sound of his voice, her gaze instantly snapped her thoughts and shot up to meet Jack, stood near the empty seat with his red backpack slung over his shoulder. His navy hooded sweater was vibrant, as always. His ice blue eyes danced from person to person, lips quirked into a goofy, lopsided smile. "Was there a meeting no-one told me about?"

Elsa's lips clamped shut, unable to speak for some inexplicable reason. The smile that tugged at her lips, a common occurrence in his presence, felt like it was as false as a politician's rhetoric. Why was she behaving like that? For that matter, noticing the awkward silence that had descended once more around the table, why was _everyone_ behaving like that?

"Uh…" Rapunzel said, her surprised expression a screaming clue she was scrambling for something to say, "we were just…"

"Talking about tha ring," Merida finished for her. Elsa didn't miss the grateful look Rapunzel gave her.

Jack's smile instantly fell, and the boyish expression of concern that washed over his face… irritated Elsa. It never did that before. "Still no clue who did it?" he asked as he took the empty seat - though Elsa noted with guilt the flash of disappointment crossing his eyes that, unlike every single meeting they had, the seat at her right was occupied. By Astrid.

"Well-" Hiccup began, but was immediately and viciously silenced by something hard and painful - likely Astrid's foot, Elsa suspected, "-nope. Not a thing."

"You know anything about it?" Astrid said, and it was a testament either to how gullible Jack could be, or how he ironically trusted the stubborn woman, that he missed the pointed tone and hearty glare.

"No. I asked around, but I got nothing. Why do you ask?"

Astrid opened her mouth to answer, likely with something that would start one hell of an argument, but was interrupted rather theatrically by Anna. Rising from table, she bent down to pick up her sunflower-decorated spring green backpack and said loudly with _far_ too much brightness, "Okay, I'm gonna get to class, and Kristoff's walking me. See you guys later! No fighting!"

Kristoff looked mildly bemused at the notion he would be doing such a thing, but a pointed look and a decidedly unsubtle nod cured that particular confusion. He murmured his farewells, and left the cafeteria with his girlfriend's arms hooked around his left forearm.

Hiccup was next to bid his goodbyes, citing needing to finish up his engineering thesis for the next day - and a clever hint that Astrid needed to train for football saw to her exit, too. Merida followed suit, dragging a reluctant-looking Rapunzel out of the cafeteria.

"Was it something I said?"

Which left Elsa, Jack, and a whole lot of unwelcome discomfort in the air. Well, none that _he_ was particularly sensitive too at that moment, having seized the opportunity to claim Astrid's seat at her side. She wanted to look at him, _needed to,_ but something held her back. The same thing that fed the doubt in her mind, rendering heavy her hands when they would ordinarily be happily lacing themselves around his.

Even the tender kiss he planted on her cheek aroused a faint burning sensation - and _not_ the one it was supposed to. What was happening to her? Was she _really_ doubting her boyfriend?

"Hey, you okay?" Elsa realised she couldn't avoid him any longer, and with as much effort as raising the Titanic, she turned to meet his eyes. Her heart twinged at the deep worry in his icy blues, the way his pupils dilated inside the snowflake shape surrounding them. Her lips parted… why was it so hard to speak? "You're a little distant. I mean, more than usual."

She blinked over and over, her mouth opening and closing like a drawbridge. It was easy enough to _say_ the words, but her heart and mind were engaged in a vicious battle for supremacy - and her throat was the battlefield. She nibbled at her lips, feeling her mouth become more arid as the seconds went on.

"Jack…" she said softly, anxiously, a waver of uncertainty in her voice, "will you promise me something?"

Jack tilted his head, his gaze not once leaving hers. A frown of concern furrowed his brow. "Anything, Elsa. You know that."

She slowly nodded. "Promise me… if you took the ring, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

His head recoiled like she'd just announced she was about to tear off her clothes and strut, naked, around the cafeteria. "You know I would, except I don't need to because I didn't take it."

In defiance of her brain's orders, her right hand surged over and squeezed his left. "Please, Jack. Promise me," she said, gazing imploringly into his eyes.

"I promise, Elsa." His face was solemn, his eyes honest. In fact, he looked mildly hurt she would even ask such a thing. "I would never betray you like that - I know how much that ring means to you." He leaned forward, radiating a pleading vibe. "Astrid might think I'm worthless, but I'd never hurt you like that. You have to believe me."

She let out a shaky sigh, and closed her eyes. Smiling shyly - a task far easier than before - she nodded to herself. "I do, Jack. I'm sorry. I just… this whole situation is messing with me."

Jack's other hand rested on hers. Opening her eyes, she rested them on the face of pure sympathy pointed right back at her. The cheeky glint in his eyes was present, as ever. "Hey, I get it. Listen - how about you come over after college? I'll cook us some mean ramen and ketchup, and we can watch crappy sci-fi movies together?"

Elsa smiled a wide, genuine smile. "I'd like that."

So she did. Once college was over for the day, she texted Anna to let her know she'd be at Jack's for the night. The ramen and ketchup was as she'd expected it to be, and the sci-fi movies were worse than Twilight. Not that they finished the first - three quarters of an hour in and they were already tearing each other's clothes off, leading to a wild night where Elsa's mind reached the stratosphere at least three times.

And for a few happy hours, the seed of doubt was nothing but a happy memory - until, as their bodies lay entwined in the moonlit bedroom and covered in the sweat of satisfaction, the question breathlessly slipped from her lips before she even knew it.

"Jack?"

She received a sleepy, "Huh?" as her answer.

"You'd tell me if you knew anything about the ring, right?"

The sound of fabric shifting above her head caught her ears. From its position of resting on his chest, with her left arm draped around him, she craned her neck up to meet his gaze. Even in the dark, they begged for belief.

"If I knew anything, you'd be the first to know, Elsa."

Her eyes travelled down to his lips. A slow sigh escaped from her nose, and as she reached up to caress his cheek she stretched to plant a delicate kiss on his lips. "I know. Thank you."

It wasn't long after that she heard the telltale light snoring of his slumber…

...but the night held no such sleep for Elsa.

* * *

 **V. The Photograph**

"You did _what?!"_

Anna's reaction had been predictably over dramatic, and had they been anywhere near the science campus, experiments would have been conducted into just how a human jaw could hit the floor. Mercifully they were at home, and no such investigation would be conducted.

Other than Anna's inquisition into what Elsa was thinking, of course.

The two sisters stood in the kitchen of her house, with Elsa resting a hand on the counter while the other hand ran through her swept-back platinum blonde bangs, and with Anna staring at her with the definition of incredulity. Staring at the black and white tiled floor,.Elsa shook her head in disbelief.

"I know! I know, I shouldn't have done it!" the elder sister protested in a voice of frustration and high pitch.

"Oh, gee, you think?" Anna's hand flew into the air, only to slap against her leg. "Elsa, you _went through your boyfriend's stuff!_ Do you have any _idea_ what that could do to him if he ever finds out?"

"I know!" Elsa wrapped her arms around her chest. "He's going to think I don't trust him…"

Anna made an exaggerated motion, spreading her arms wide, acting. "Safe to say you _don't!_ Elsa, people don't just go through other people's possessions if they trust them!"

Elsa uttered her fourth, "I know!" of the morning. Jack had left the apartment in a rush, having realised he was late for his morning lecture - as usual - and told her she should make herself at home. To her credit, she attempted to… until the compulsion, the desire to find out for certain became overwhelming. One hour later, his apartment was scoured. An hour after that, everything had been painstakingly returned its original location.

Anna sighed with deep exasperation, and pinched the bridge of her nose whilst her other hand rested on her denim pants-covered hip. "Can't believe I'm about to ask this… but did you find it?"

Elsa flopped back against the counter, and huddled herself with her arms. "No. Nothing."

She felt so guilty. In a moment of distrust, which, as she went through his hooded sweaters, her brain had rationalised as confirming his innocence, she had invaded his privacy. How would _she_ have felt, if Jack had done the same?

The sound of the front door being knocked echoed throughout the huge house, abrupt enough to give Elsa a start and cause Anna to jump with a gasp. Kristoff, who up until that moment had been content to devour a raw carrot and stay out of the conversation, rose from the kitchen table and muttered that he would see who was calling.

"That's good, right?" Anna said with a slight breathlessness to her usually bubbly voice, "If he hasn't got it, he's innocent."

Any comfort Elsa felt was short lived. As Kristoff passed, he said with a perfect air of deadpan nonchalance, "He could have pawned it."

Elsa's breath hitched.

The sigh that slipped through Anna's gritted teeth was as irritated as the eyes that shot up into her eyebrows, a second before she gave Kristoff a look that could incinerate worlds. "Thanks, boyfriend. You really know how to make a girl feel special."

Kristoff immediately cringed and scurried away, murmuring a hasty apology. Shaking her head as though she was the only sane person in the room, she muttered an annoyed, "Oaf…" before taking Elsa by the shoulders.

"Sis, think about this. By searching his apartment without his consent, you are - by definition - accusing him of stealing. Do you _honestly_ think he did it?"

Elsa looked up at her with guilt-filled, shimmering wet eyes. She _wanted_ to say no. She wanted to say she believed Jack and would back him to the hilt. She wanted it to be some opportunistic partygoer who saw the ring as an easy payday.

The word stuck in her throat. The doubt had grown too deep. Between Hans' revelation, and Astrid's explanation - skewed as it may have been by her personal prejudice - she didn't know _what_ to think. She couldn't even picture Jack, which would always make her smile, without a voice in her head asking the same question over and over.

 _Did he do it?_

Thus, the one word answer became three in a faint voice of uncertainty. "I don't know…"

Anna sighed, and frowned with sympathy. "C'mere," she murmured as she pulled Elsa into a tight hug, and whispered, "It's going to be okay," as she stroked her back whilst Elsa buried her face in her shoulders, fighting back the sobs.

"Um… guys?"

Elsa looked up at the tremble in Kristoff's voice, and the sight caught her breath. His face was pale and twisted with shock, and his eyes bore disbelief at the rectangular piece of what looked like paper in his hand. "Someone left… left this at the door. You really need

… to see this."

Anna released Elsa and strode over to snatch the paper from Kristoff, who was too stunned to react. Frowning, she looked down at it - which was when she covered her open, gasping mouth.

"What?" Elsa asked. Anna looked up with popping eyes, and the paper trembled as it was passed to her. Curious, Elsa took it with a final glance at her sister's near-tearful face, and realised thanks to the glossy surface under her thumb she was holding a photograph.

She looked down.

Her world fell apart.

* * *

 **VI. Your Lying Lips**

 _We need to talk._

Four words which, to the layman's eye, were perfectly innocent. Yet, to a man in a relationship, they were words that struck fear into the hardest of hearts.

It was little wonder that Jack abandoned his afternoon lecture and was through Elsa's door within half an hour. Even less wonder that a text from Anna had done the rounds, leading to their entire circle of friends hiding in various places around the house.

Elsa waited for him in the living room, her arms folded while she did her absolute _best_ to keep an impassive, unreadable expression upon her porcelain face. Eyes radiating worry, he strode into the living room with a breathless, "I got your text, you okay?"

He closed the distance and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She turned her head away. He pulled back, gazing in confusion. "What's wrong?"

It was so hard to speak. Millions of thoughts raced through her mind at speed, all punctuated by the same words:

 _It was him._

She couldn't even stand to be touched by him.

Staring at the backpack he dropped living room doorway, she took a long, shaking breath and forced out the words, "Do you love me?"

Jack frowned, recoiling his head. "You know I do. What's going on?"

 _Liar._

"You would always tell me the truth, right?"

He nodded vigorously. "I would, I always do."

She forced herself to look at him. If her heart wasn't already breaking inch by agonising inch, the lost and confused expression certainly wasn't helping. "Remember what you promised to me?"

"Yeah, I do. Elsa, you're not making any-"

"Did you steal my mother's ring?"

Her question cut his sentence off like the executioner's axe. He stared at her, expression of deep confusion unchanged. He was acting - he had to be.

"No. I told you; I didn't do it. Why are you acting like this?"

Her lower lip slipped in between her teeth. Her eyes left his, and she turned her back to him. "I want to believe you. I really do. The idea you would steal…" she broke off, and slowly moved away from him to the coffee table a few feet away. "...I just couldn't believe it. When I searched your apartment-"

Jack's indignant hurt was clear as a bell. "You did _what?"_

" _-_ and found nothing, I thought to myself, ' _this is proof he's innocent'._ I felt so guilty, _I_ felt guilty, and I was going to tell you and make it up to you tonight."

She picked up the photograph, the one that shattered her world. Where Jack was walking into a pawnbroker's shop in the seedier area of Arendelle City. Of course, navy sweaters weren't damning… but the way he was looking over his shoulder was.

Still with her back to him, she stared at the framed picture of Iduna Whitethorne, embracing her two daughters. Eight and five, they were. With calmness barely holding back the tide of grief and rage, she spoke once more. "I'm going to ask you again, and if you love me, if you have _an ounce_ of respect for me, please tell me the truth. If you are honest-"

"I am telling-"

" _If you are honest,"_ she cut over him, "we can work this out. We can try and move on together - but _only_ if you tell me the truth."

She turned around, summoning every ounce of strength she had to meet his gaze.

"Did you steal my mother's ring?"

He didn't hesitate, didn't blink, didn't waver. "No."

Elsa inhaled deeply - there it was. He had made his bed. Kristoff had later questioned the coincidence of such a photograph appearing, until Anna pointed out that if he denied visiting the pawnbroker's even with photographic proof, then he had to be lying.

If he was lying about stealing the ring, what else was he lying about? Was their whole relationship built on deceit?

She strode forward and handed him the photograph. Bemused, he took it, and his eyes went down to the image. Like a hawk, Elsa watched his face undergo a series of expressions; shock, confusion, bewilderment, anger… and realisation. "Elsa, I've never been there. I swear to God, I've never been in this part of town."

"Don't lie to me, Jack."

"I'm not lying!" he hissed. "This is a fake, a photoshop!"

Which was Anna's theory - shot down by Kristoff's assertion that no-one was that good.

Elsa remained silent as the grave. The word ' _liar'_ repeated itself over and over in her head. Liar. Liar. Liar.

"This is a frame, someone's making me take the fall!"

"Who, Jack?"

He threw his hands into the air. Panic was etching itself into his face. Straws grasped in his voice. "I don't know! Astrid - she's had it in for me since we started dating!"

" _You LIAR!"_

It happened too fast for Elsa to react; in all of four seconds, Astrid had sprinted from the kitchen and smashed her fist into Jack's nose. Howling with pain, he clamped his hands over the impact spot whilst Hiccup tried his best to hold her back.

"You took it, Jack! You betrayed Elsa! You _liar!"_

" _Astrid."_

Elsa's stern voice rang out around the room, now full of their friends, instantly silencing the furious woman. Jack delicately moved his hands away from his nose, and it was a testament to the strength of his face that there were no streaks of crimson to be seen.

No-one helped him. No-one dared.

"That first one was free," Jack snarled, shooting Astrid an icy glare, "but Hiccup? You'd better stop her from doing it again, 'cause I won't be responsible for what happens next."

"Yeah?" Astrid hissed, "Any time, any place, you lying scumbag!"

"Hiccup." Elsa gave him a stern, commanding look. "Take Astrid to the kitchen, so she can cool off."

Hiccup nodded his assent and guided - practically dragged - her away from the scene. Returning her eyes to Jack, once Astrid was out of sight, she watched him touch his nose and then check his fingertips over and over.

"How could you, Jack?" Anna said, wrapped by Kristoff's arms. One look told Elsa her heart was ashes.

"I. Didn't. Do. It." Jack snapped.

"Please, Jack," Rapunzel interjected. "Just be honest - were you having money problems?"

"Duh!" Jack threw her an incredulous glare. "Kinda comes with the college territory...oh, and supporting my sister! Not everyone gets to live off a tasty six figure inheritance, they have to-"

His words felt like a slap in Elsa's face. How dare he. Her heart stilled in her chest, while her hands balled themselves into fists at her side. Her teeth clenched together, and she fought the seductive urge to finish what Astrid started.

Jack took one look at her, and his face dropped. He knew the damage his words had caused. "Elsa - I didn't mean… please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Enough, Jack."

"-just gimme a second to-"

" _Enough,"_ she snarled with all the rage and venom she could allow. Jack fell silent, and stared at her. He looked so lost, like everything was falling apart and he had no idea why. In any other situation, Elsa would not hesitate to embrace him, kiss him, and tell him it would all be okay… but the sight of him filled her with nausea. Betrayal. Fury.

"I called you here, because I wanted to give you a chance to explain. I wanted to believe you, and if you _had_ stolen it, we could have worked something out. If you needed money, you know I would have helped you without hesitation, and with love. You didn't have to take the only sentimental heirloom my sister and I have left."

"But I swear, I didn't-"

She held up a hand. "But you lied. When you promised me, you were lying. When you told me if you knew anything, you were lying. And now, even with this photograph proving you went to a pawnbroker's, you still lie. I won't ever see my mother's ring again, and you are still insulting me by lying to my face."

"Elsa-"

She fought like hell to keep her voice as level as possible. "Now I can't help but wonder what else you were lying about. Whether all the moments we shared were true." Her voice broke under the weight of the lump in her throat. "If you truly did love me."

"But I do love you-don't do this. I'm innocent, I swear-"

"No more, Jack." Her heart was torn asunder, her voice path of shattered glass. Her strength was waning. "I'm sorry, but I can't trust you any more, and I can't be with someone I can't trust. I want you to leave."

"Elsa, please-"

She shook her head. Drawing herself to her full height, she held herself with elegance and poise as she looked up into his broken gaze, and said the words she _never_ wanted to say before.

"No, Jack. We're over."

* * *

 _Part 2 coming soon._


	2. Chapter 2

_Part 2._

* * *

 **VII. Your Frozen Heart**

The next five years had held interesting changes.

Unwilling to accept Elsa's decision, or the guilt levied upon him by his friends, Jack took on the personification of persistence. At least once a day for a whole month he would knock on her door, pleading for a chance to explain. He would stop her in the college halls, text her at all hours, call her at the most inconvenient times. He would stop her friends, and ask _them_ to hear him out.

No-one did.

Elsa had blocked his phone number and blocked his Facebook account. She ignored him in college, choosing to walk past without paying him a single glance. She refused to answer the door, even when he sat on her doorstep for three hours. It hurt too much to talk to him. The man she trusted almost as much as Anna, who had seen her through her hardest times - had stolen and pawned her mother's ring. She was betrayed, heartbroken, made to feel like the biggest idiot on the planet.

He had even waited at her car, the final time they ever interacted. Eager to return home and rest, to get away from the prospect of being accosted for the thousandth time, Elsa found herself stopped by an errant arm thrust out by Astrid.

"Dude just doesn't give up," she growled.

Hiccup proved himself to be the moral centre of the group, and the only one willing to give Jack the benefit of the doubt. "He's only doing what I would do. He's fighting."

Astrid then grunted her disagreement, and made a motion to stride over to where Jack was as he stared in hope at Elsa, but was stopped before she even began - by Elsa herself.

"I don't need defending, Astrid, by man or woman alike. I will see to this, once and for all."

Without giving her time to respond, Elsa marched to meet Jack - whose initial expression of happy surprise morphed into uncertain fear once he caught her stormy glare.

"Elsa, I-just want to talk…"

"No, Jack," she said with raw, stern anger, "you had a chance to be honest a month ago, and you lied to my face. You and I-not that there _is_ a ' _you and I'-_ have nothing to discuss."

Bereft of courage and the ability to speak, he stammered, "But-"

"Let me be clear - I have not called the authorities because I want to put this behind me, and frankly, there is no point. However if you continue to harass me and my friends, I will have no choice but to seek a restraining order. I never want to hear from you again." She took a threatening step toward him. "Is that _crystal_ clear?"

Her mother once told her that eyes tell the story of the soul, and it was no more true in the moment she, under her cold gaze, watched Jack's soul crush itself into oblivion. The cheeky glint and hopeful light in his icy blues died and his entire body sagged as his courage abandoned him. He turned and left for the bus, taking one moment to look over his shoulder.

And had her heart not been frozen to cope with the pain, it would have fallen apart at the sheer defeat on his face.

 _He's a liar,_ a voice in her head reminded her. _Let him go._

And sure enough, that was the last they spoke.

* * *

 **VIII. Moving On?**

There were other changes over the five years. Jack would walk past her in the halls, and pretend she did not exist. Ostracised by their group of friends, he sat alone, walked alone, studied alone. Even Hiccup, who was still unconvinced of his guilt, did not associate himself with him - though that was more than likely due to Astrid's insistence that to do so would be a further betrayal of Elsa.

Every time the faintest regret blossomed in her heart, causing her to debate opening a dialogue, her mind quashed it with a reminder he brought it upon himself.

The other change came in human form - hearing of the breakup, Hans had knocked on her door and gave her his number, with the suggestion that day or night, if she needed _anything_ , she could call him. Still grieving her relationship, Elsa offered little more than brisk gratitude and closed the door.

Nine months after that, at Anna's suggestion she should forget about Jack and get back into the dating scene, Elsa and Hans began dating. Any guilt her heart felt, especially when Jack saw them walking hand in hand through the college halls, and when she embraced Hans and planted a gleeful kiss on his lips at their graduation ceremony was rationalised by her mind that if Jack lied about stealing the ring, it wasn't a stretch to assume he probably cheated on her, too. Hans even gained Astrid's approval, with her stating Elsa needed someone mature and responsible.

Yet, as the years passed by, marked by the occasions of their relationship becoming serious, her successful application to an architectural firm, Hans' recruitment into Arendelle's prominent news agency and their engagement and marriage, her heart refused to give in. A little voice in her chest that spoke of innocence, that the guilt was not Jack's to bear. A seed of doubt that often kept her awake at night, wondering what might have been.

 _What if_ _Jack truly was innocent,_ it often asked. _What if you made a mistake?_

No matter how much she tried to ignore it, no matter how hard she tried not to imagine the man proposing to her, sleeping with her, marrying her and whose house she moved into, had white hair rather than auburn, blue eyes instead of green, and a cheeky smirk in place of a lipped one. Her head would often remind her that she chose Hans, and that any yearnings or regrets she had were simply down to how much in love she was with Jack, and how the wound had never truly healed.

Her heart would then, without fail, retort with a question: if she had been in love with Jack, what was it she had with Hans? She was oddly reluctant to give herself fully to the relationship, his kisses were possessive rather than tender; instead of explosive, the intimacy wasn't nearly as satisfying-

 _(...and there was an odd compulsion to ensure her contraceptives were working at full potential, and she religiously took the morning after pill for good measure.)_

-and he wasn't able to make her laugh as loud, or as long. Gloomy moments lasted for far longer than they used to, and often she found herself under the weather for no apparent reason. Contact with her friends occurred not nearly as often as she'd like, though she rationalised that as a simple case of them getting on with their own lives, and though Anna did her best, there was the strangest sensation of loneliness in her heart despite being married. Her heart often asked her: _if you are married to Hans but aren't in love with him, aren't you lying to him?_

 _To yourself?_

It was a question that, under the impeccably composed outer facade, was driving her insane.

So, when Hans received a job offer from one of the prominent news networks in Washington DC, a job that rendered impossible the idea of commuting, she quickly accepted his suggestion they permanently move from Arendelle City. She knew she could easily get a job in one of DC's architectural firms, so maybe she could finally move on with her life and leave the past where it was meant to be - in the past.

It was a good thought - until, on the penultimate night of their move, she ran into a certain old flame - and the seed of doubt blossomed into a full-blown sapling.

* * *

 **IX. Concerning Expensive Slushies**

In celebration of their impending move, and to honour their final days in the city that had seen them grow into responsible adults, Hans had booked a table at Oaken's Restaurant, the most luxury establishment in the city. He had not invited Anna, or the rest of their group, citing that he wanted it to be an intimate affair - and it was, but Elsa missed her companions… especially one. Even though the food was as marvellous as expected, the wine was delicious, and the stunning, low-cut, floor-length black sequined dress that showed off every curve, accentuated her cleavage and turned practically every head in the restaurant, she couldn't escape the disheartened sensation. Behind her smiles, it felt like her heart wasn't in it.

Which was why, when Hans suggested they should return home and get an early night for the packing tomorrow, she agreed without hesitation. Bill paid, waiter tipped, she had to hold herself back from jogging out of the door.

 _(which would have ended in hilarious disaster in_ those _heels.)_

As they walked back to his car, Hans had immediately launched into a one-sided conversation about how amazing it was that his photographic skills and talent in image editing had been recognised - which _should_ have set off a battleship's worth of alarm bells had Elsa not been so wrapped up in her self doubt, staring at the ground. It was when she heard a familiar voice from up ahead, the inimitably endearing scratchy quality that she looked up.

There he was, walking side by side next to a brunette woman with razor-sharp bangs across her forehead, clutching a large green slushie. Before she could look away, their eyes met - and five years had changed him. His body had filled out slightly, and the smirk adorning his lips the second before it dropped like a stone looked… wiser. He was the first to look away, his expression barely fluctuating from ' _indifferent',_ and he drew himself to his full height as they walked past each other. Hans' arm snaked itself around her lower back and pulled her closer to him - a regular occurrence whenever they walked past someone of the male sex.

 _Don't you dare turn around,_ her mind warned her.

"Is that...?" she heard the woman whisper, a few seconds before she felt the tapping of fingers on her left shoulder, causing her to automatically turn around...

...and feel the freezing bite of a large green slushie as it was thrust in her face. Shrieking in shock, her entire body went rigid as the chilly, icy substance slid down her face and neck, pooled in her cleavage and mingled with her impeccable French braid. Her breathing came thick and fast, and she shivered from the nipping of green ice and the winter wind.

"Oh my God!" she shouted in a high pitched voice, her hands scrambling to wipe the substance from her eyes. She actually _liked_ that dress. "Why did you-"

It was when she could see past the liquid dripping down her forehead, she realised who her assailant was - and it wasn't Jack. Hazel eyes glared pure fire at her, silencing any protests in the Westergard woman's throat. An empty slushy cup was clutched in one white knuckled hand, and her jaw was clenched to the point her muscles could easily be seen.

"Come on, Emma," Jack said, tugging at her arm. She shrugged him away - and Elsa could only stand and watch in open-mouthed surprise. Emma. His younger sister. She looked so _different._

So enraged.

"That was a nine dollar mango and passion fruit slushy. I bought that after the movies, and I was gonna drink it all the way home where I was gonna drink more while watching Netflix with my bro. _"_ Emma took two steps forward so she was almost nose-to-nose with Elsa. Her voice dropped to a low, vengeful snarl. "But it was worth every cent to throw it in the face of the woman that ruined my brother's life."

"How dare you-"

Hans was silenced by a single look, however Emma was notorious for never doing things by half. "One more word out of you, and I swear, you'll be eating this cup."

She looked back at Elsa and gave her the slowest once-over in existence, and the lip-curled contempt that radiated from her eyes and dripped from each of the four words she then spoke, could be bottled, packaged and used to burn a hole in steel.

"I hope you're happy."

Jack tugged at his sister's arm again. "C'mon, Emma. They're not worth it."

Emma turned away, and resumed her journey with Jack, but not before uttering something that rhymed suspiciously with the word ' _itch'._ Stunned, shivering from the cold and feeling like she had been slapped in the face - Emma likely would have made that feeling a reality - she watched them walk away from her.

And the doubt only grew...because she _wasn't sure_ she was happy.

* * *

 **X. Come Crashing Down**

The night granted no peaceful slumber to the weary Elsa's troubled soul, nor did the shower she took before bed to wash away the sticky vengeance bless her with comfort. While Hans had laid fast asleep - Elsa had invoked the ' _headache excuse'_ to avoid intimacy, further adding ammunition for her heart to use against her - Elsa slept little, staring at the darkened ceiling whilst her mind ticked over. She could recall the breakup with astounding clarity, recall the threat at the car with tangible vividness, and Emma's first words to her in five years stuck to her mind like frost to a window.

And her mind, second only to Astrid in its belief Jack was guilty, was unnervingly silent.

Sleep eluded her, an oddly convenient reason for her distance when Hans quizzed her over it at the breakfast table.

She barely responded when he planted a quick kiss on her cheek before heading out to his last day at work - and the temptation to spend her day off in bed rather than finish the packing was all too seductive.

Still, it needed to be done, and she knew there was no way she could truly see if she moved on without getting on with it.

So, after two mugs of black coffee strong enough to wake the dead, she had fixed her braid into a bun and threw herself into the last room in need of clearing - the bedroom. Thanks to her diligence in packing what she could whenever her time was free, there was little left needed to be packed away, with the closet as the last remaining place to be emptied. Opening the white, intricate lattice doors, she elected to start from the top shelf where various knick-knacks had been collected over the years, from her toy snowman Olaf to her charm bracelet Hans bought her for Christmas a year ago. Worn once; never since.

It was when she blindly feathered her fingertips over the shelf once every other item had been packed away - she swore those closets were made for those fortunate enough to be tall - to ensure nothing was left that the nail of her right middle finger brushed against a small, wooden object in the furthest right corner. With no small amount of finagling, and the presence of their wedding photograph album as a stepping stool, Elsa retrieved the mysterious object - a small, nondescript mahogany box no bigger than a necklace case.

She frowned in curiosity - she had no knowledge of the box, and Hans had never mentioned anything about it. Her fingers had immediately prepared to open it when a voice reminded her of the _last_ time she searched someone's belongings without prior consent… but then again, one of Elsa's stipulations before she agreed to take the Westergard name was that there would be no secrets between them. She bit her lip, gazing at the box while she decided which way to jump.

She took a breath, and opened it. Inside lay a small piece of paper folded three times - what could possibly be so important about this paper that warranted such a secluded hiding spot?

She plucked the paper from its place of secrecy and tossed the box away, and with fingers that gently trembled both out of anticipation and an odd sense of foreboding, she unfolded it.

Her lungs drew a sharp, ragged gasp through the hand that she had clamped over her mouth. Her heart stalled in her chest, and searing heat dried her widening eyes.

It was the receipt for a pawnbroker's shop.

For a silver ring with a heart-shaped ruby.

Signed by one Hans Westergard.

* * *

 **XI. What Have I Done?**

The next hour was spent by Elsa, as she huddled her knees to her chest in the corner of the shower cubicle, in a state of complete numbness. Oblivious to the watery remnants of Hans' morning shower reducing the seat of her black pants to a sodden mess, she stared with glazed, tear-spilled eyes at an invisible spot on the floor. Her rage, grief, agony of heartbreak and feelings of betrayal had crashed together with such force, not in the least helped by the mild freaking out she endured upon realising the truth, that she felt _nothing_ but a damning, pervasive cold…

...and all-encompassing guilt.

Hans was the one who pawned the ring.

Hans was the one who _stole_ the ring.

Hans was the one whose mouth spewed out lie after lie after lie that she fell for; hook, line and sinker. Her hand, trembling with shock, moved up to cover her mouth in the hopes of stopping the wave of nausea - she felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. He knew Jack was innocent. He _knew_ Elsa was making a mistake by letting her doubt get the better of her, and fed that doubt with lies and false sympathy. Every mistake she made could be traced back to the moment in the parking lot where he acted the part of an awkward, uncertain informant. She kissed the lips, held the hands, was intimate with, said ' _yes'_ to and married the very man that ruined-

The hand clenched into a loose fist, and her throat collapsed in on itself. No. He didn't ruin her relationship with Jack. Sure, he gave her the gasoline, but it was _she_ that took the fuel, doused her love with Jack in it and burned it to ashes. She allowed the doubt to grow, _she_ was the one who disbelieved him, broke up with him, hurt, broke and _threatened_ him.

"Oh, Jack," she croaked behind her hand. "What have I done?"

Her mind, second only to Astrid in the advocacy of Jack's guilt remained silent under the torrent of abuse hurled at it by the shattered remnants of her heart.

 _You know exactly what you've done. You destroyed the best thing in your life next to Anna, and for what? Five years of lies? A marriage built on a foundation of deceit, resting on the ashes of your true love? You were never happy with Hans, and you were lying to yourself. He 'suggested' what you wore, the makeup you applied, the food you ordered… and you let him. I told you so._

 _I. Told. You. So._

 _I TOLD YOU SO._

 _Why, Elsa?_

Why… that was the question. Why _did_ Hans steal the ring? What possessed him to engineer the downfall of Jack, who did nothing to deserve it?

The hand ceased its trembling. Her eyes lost their glazed look, and were replaced by a steely resolve that marched through the crowded room of her emotions, pushed aside the rage and grief and said, "I'm here. Use me."

She needed to make sense of it all. She needed to find out _why_ Hans framed Jack for the theft, why he lied to her. Why she threw away years of happiness over a photograph, and a ring. No more would she be deceived.

She would have the truth.

* * *

 **XII. Warpaint**

The next forty-five minutes was spent returning herself to who she was before she involved herself with _him._ Gone were the overly flashy and expensive clothes, and the makeup choices she went along with in the hopes of finding love again. Strength returned to her mind and heart, a redoubtable resolve that chased away the self-hate and the weakness. Back was the makeup style she wore in college; light pink blusher, faint purple eye shadow with astounding eyelashes, and full, plum lips. Back were the leather jacket and yoga pants… her inner strength had returned to her.

Once ready, two texts were sent. The first went to Anna, requesting that she visit as soon as humanly possible. When she had finally arrived not twenty-five minutes later, her reaction to Elsa's look was a stunned, "Wow, you look... _different._ It's a _good_ different!"

In spite of her pain, Elsa voiced her gratitude and offered a small smile, before suggesting she hide in the living room to watch the show.

The second was sent to Hans, and in a strangely satisfying irony, it contained the same four words she mistakenly sent to Jack - " _We need to talk."_

It was no surprise Hans then returned home as soon as he legally could, and burst through the door with an expression of deep worry on his face. His bag had barely hit the ground before he was striding toward her, stood at the kitchen table with her arms folded. When he asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?" and moved to embrace her, she vetoed it with a simple shake of her head - and a fury etched on her face that was so cold, she was the epitome of calm.

Turning, she took the closest seat and stared up at him, her expression unchanged. "Elsa, what's the matter? Talk to me, please," he asked.

Her response was little more than a gesture with her eyes to the chair on the other side of the table. Hans turned to look at it, and back at her. "Come on, honey. This is my last day at work, why won't you talk to me?"

She lifted her chin. Hans let out a defeated sigh, and took the hint by seating himself.

"So, you gonna talk to me?"

Elsa said nothing. She stared at him, barely blinking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, but the colour draining from his cheeks was slowly becoming more obvious.

Without uttering a sound, Elsa took the receipt from her pocket and unfolded it before she placed it on the table. Slowly, with two fingers she slid the paper from her to him, before relaxing back into her chair and folding her arms. Frowning, Hans picked up the paper and skimmed its contents… and in the space of a second, his face went whiter than Jack's hair. He looked up at her with fear, and launched into a volley of excuses, pitiful attempts to deflect the blame away from him onto Jack. "He must have planted it in the house," was her favourite slice of bull. "He must have broken in and planted it." With each passing second, his insults to her intelligence enraged her - yet her face betrayed no such fire, save for a narrowing of her eyes.

Her silence was deafening, and as the minutes dragged on, its heaviness crushed Hans' will and sealed his defeat. She watched his shoulders sag and his head lower itself, and listened to him as he _finally_ told the truth.

He was jealous. Elsa was not interested in him or his advances, preferring to pursue a dating relationship with Jack. He felt slighted, worthless, that such a beautiful, rich and intelligent woman like her was not attracted to him in any way. He wanted her for himself, envious of Jack and bewildered as to why such an ' _immature',_ carefree, fun-loving man could be so lucky as to score her interest and love. He resolved to himself that he would have her no matter what, so he waited, and waited, until the ideal opportunity.

An opportunity that presented itself at the party. Anna, in her heavily drunken state, was loudly lamenting that their parents would not be there to witness her first day at college, wailing and sobbing into Kristoff's shoulder. Whilst he tried _not_ to listen, Anna accidentally mentioned a priceless, sentimental ring that was the last remaining physical connection to their beloved mother. It was at that moment Hans' intent to frame Jack was formed.

He did indeed see Jack, but he was coming out of the bathroom and _not_ the bedroom. Once his white-haired rival was out of sight and after ensuring there were no other witnesses, Hans carefully searched her bedroom for, found and stole the ring. He subtly implied Jack's culpability in the parking lot, and to reinforce her doubts and cause her to end their relationship, photoshopped a photograph of Jack entering the college campus onto the photograph of a pawnbroker's. He knew that, plagued by doubt and suspicion, Elsa's standards of evidence would be a hell of a lot lower than normal… and when he succeeded in breaking up their relationship, manoeuvred himself into position for her affections.

As for the receipt, he had kept it to remind himself how he beat Jack.

"Please," he stammered, fear and loss in his voice, "you have to understand, I did it because I lov-"

Elsa held up a hand, and he was immediately silenced. He stole from her. He lied to her. She couldn't stand to hear his voice, let alone hear him utter the word ' _love'._ She believed every word of his explanation, but refused to think he loved her.

 _("Love… is putting someone else's needs before yours," Anna once said. Hans placed his needs above hers.)_

With her other hand, she pulled the wedding ring from her finger and placed it next to the discarded receipt.

Then, with the weight of her icy anger and immovable resolve etched into her words in the way they barely increased in pitch, she spoke.

"Here is what is going to happen, Mr. Westergard. You will return to work, during which time, I am going to petition for divorce."

He opened his mouth to protest, ostensibly with some lame attempt to get her to reconsider. He was silenced once again by a simple hand.

"When you return here from work, I will not be here, and neither will my belongings. I will not be taking any items you bought for me, nor will I be keeping the Westergard name. When you leave for DC tomorrow, you will do so alone." She rose like an elegant, unfurling flower from her chair. "When I walk out of the door, you will never see me again. Is that clear?"

Hans looked at her with defeated eyes, as she leaned with feathered fingers onto the table, and slowly nodded.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to try and make right a mistake I made five years ago. Goodbye, Mr. Westergard."

Without a further word, she left the house and strode over to her car.

It was once she was alone, wrapped in the safety of its four doors that the wall of icy composure built to see her through the confrontation, to ensure Hans did not see her bleed, finally broke.

Her eyes clamped shut as tears pooled and fell down her cheeks, and the trembles returned to her hands as she loosely covered her mouth. It was a useless attempt to stifle the wracking sobs bursting forth, but then again, it wasn't _supposed_ to. For what felt like an eternity, Elsa cried and wept, grieving a relationship she murdered and a waste of five years. She could have had it all, but she threw it away on a lie.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," she managed to force out in a broken tremor, "please, please forgive me…"

 **XIII. Shoe, Foot, Medicine**

As it turned out, Jack had moved from his apartment. Elsa's momentary flash of terror at the door, once it was opened by a tall, slender man with vivid auburn hair named Nick, was remedied by the _agonisingly slow_ explanation from the building's superintendent Flash who was luckily passing by at the time.

She learned Jack had moved out of the apartment three years beforehand to a house on the outskirts of the city, and was sharing it with his sister. Not only that, he had achieved his dream job of teaching at Arendelle Elementary - the same school they both attended in their youth - and in case Flash needed anything, Jack left his address.

A hopeful Elsa had practically snatched the paper out of the super's hand and yelled her gratitude as she ran out of the building.

Which led to her hesitating at Jack's door, with her knuckles hovering over the blue wood. What would he say? How would he react? Five years was a long time… maybe his anger had faded. He had a right to be furious… but she was wide open to him. His words could _crush_ her. Then again, she wondered if she _deserved_ it.

She took a deep breath and figured the only way to know for sure was to face the music - and three loud raps resonated from the door.

Ten seconds elapsed before the door swung open, and the face belonging to Emma dropped from a youthful smile to a ferocious glare, not unlike the one she wore the day before. Elsa felt her resolve tremble under the searing gaze.

"You've got a lotta nerve showing your face here after what you did to my brother, Elsa," she said in a low, menacing voice.

"I know. I know I have no right to-"

Emma folded her arms and leaned on her left hip. "You get three seconds to tell me what you want before I knock your ass on the sidewalk."

"Who is it, Em?" Jack's voice echoed from inside the house. Elsa felt her heart leap - how was it he could still do that after so long?

"Your ex-girlfriend," Emma called over her shoulder. Her words stung more than Elsa knew they would.

Jack's voice came back muted, and flat. "What does she want?"

"I just want to talk!" Elsa blurted out before thinking. "Please, just give me five minutes!"

"He doesn't want to talk to you-"

"Em."

"But she-"

Jack appeared at Emma's other shoulder, and rested a calming hand upon it. Elsa watched him look down into his sister's eyes, conviction radiating from them.

" _Em,"_ he said with finality, "I got this."

Emma took one last glare at Elsa before, with an air of deep reluctance, leaving them alone. Jack pulled the door closed behind him, though Elsa didn't hear it click.

Elsa opened and closed her mouth a few times before, her brain undergoing a temporary four-oh-four error, she came out with the lamest thing to say. "She's very protective, it seems."

Her heart rolled its eyes and groaned.

Jack quirked his lips, whilst he shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's kinda been us against the world."

She looked away. It was like her brain had failed her, leaving naught but a blank slate. As she drove to his house, she imagined herself speaking with a hell of a lot more eloquence, confidence, apologising more than there were stars in the night sky… but in that moment, under his hard gaze, she was speechless. Her courage had abandoned her… and for a few seconds, she seriously debated fleeing.

"Why did you come here, Elsa?"

Her eyes returned to his, instantly rooting her to the spot. Oh, how she missed those icy blues and the little snowflake pattern around his pupils. Eyes that once looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world, and then in fear. "I… know the truth," she murmured weakly.

Jack's eyebrows climbed into his hair. His face told a story of innocent curiosity, yet the folding of his arms, thinning of his lips and hardening of his eyes sang a different tune. "And what truth would that be?"

Damn him. He was going to make her say it. "You… know-"

"No, I don't." Jack ducked slightly so their eyes were level. "I wanna hear you say it."

Damn it. Why was it so hard to speak? Why did it feel so impossible to say the words, ' _I was wrong'?_ Could it be she couldn't admit it, or was she afraid of what he would say afterwards?

"Come on," he said in his characteristic scratchy tone, void of its laid-back vibe and full of anger… and mockery. "I wanna hear how the most intelligent woman I ever knew believed everyone else over the dude that loved her."

"I…" she forced out in a faint murmur, "was wrong."

His voice rose a step in volume, and turned his ear toward her. "Wrong about _what?"_

"About… everything."

Sarcasm joined the menace. "Oh, ' _everything',_ do you mean believing a fake photograph, a prejudiced buddy and a guy whose major was in _journalism_ over the guy who loved you?"

Elsa stayed quiet. She had to be the shore upon which the waves of his fury, his pain would crash. She knew she had to take it, as he needed the catharsis. Yet, under his gaze of injustice and betrayal, her strength was _barely_ keeping herself together.

"The guy who lost his girlfriend to that lie, whose _friends_ -" he practically spat the word in his sneer, "-turned their backs on him? Does that define ' _everything?',_ hmm?"

Her gaze fell, and a quiet, "Yes," was said. "Jack, I'm so sorry-"

Jack blurted an incredulous snort. "S-sorry?" He stared at her, disbelief radiating from his icy blues. The hard tone vanished from his voice, leaving behind a vibe of sorrow. "You know, after you threatened me with the cops, for the longest time I thought I actually did it. Maybe I stole the ring and pawned it, but was so drunk I couldn't remember. I actually thought I betrayed you in the worst way, and I remember feeling like I lost the love of my life, and all my friends… for something I didn't remember doing. I used to lay awake at night thinking… just how is my life gonna get better? How do I get through each day without your hugs, kisses… heck, your smile…what was the point?"

Pausing, there came the sound of breath as it was exhaled through his nose. Elsa blinked hard to keep her eyes from flooding, feeling her throat clench as her heart writhed in pain. It must have been terrible for him, accused of a crime he didn't commit, losing everyone who ever cared about him - and _she_ was the one who caused it.

She no longer felt like the biggest idiot on the planet… but the _smallest._

Jack spoke again, yet the sorrow had made way for resolve and conviction. Her heart, mind and soul braced themselves.

"But then I remembered - I was _innocent._ There was no reason I should feel guilty. And if everyone, my ' _girlfriend'_ included, thought I should be alone-then so be it. I didn't need them. I didn't need _you-"_

Elsa felt like a knife was gutting her.

"-so I learned to get by on my own. I learned that the only people I could rely on and trust were myself and my sister. So… in a way, I have to thank you, Elsa."

She looked up at him. He gazed coldly down on her.

"You gave me independence."

His words, stubborn in their finality, administered a lethal blow that cast a shadow of silence between them. Try as she might, once her eyes fell there was no chance of returning his gaze - lest her body be encased in ice. A single tear slipped down her left cheek from reddened eyes, and her lower lip trembled.

"Why did you come here, Elsa?"

She didn't know - or rather, she did. An irresistible pull, a need to tell him the truth. Or was it to see his face?

"Was it for forgiveness?" he said. "Well, I'm sorry, but you wasted your time. I never lied to you before, and I'm not about to start now."

He lowered himself to her level. He stared into her eyes, and s _he knew_ he witnessed her guilt and regret in the pooling liquid under her aquamarine blues. There would be no forgiveness.

"Goodbye, Elsa."

Three seconds later, she felt the rush of air, and heard the thud of the door being slammed in her face.

Lost, she turned around and left for her car… and once she closed the driver's side door behind her, the dam broke and her grief poured forth.

So that was what he felt like when she shut him out.

* * *

 _unrelated trivia: I'm cooking up some Jelsa smut. Not as part of this. Standalone oneshot._


	3. Chapter 3

_Part three. AN to follow._

* * *

 **XIV. Something Big**

"Wait, _what?"_

The remainder of the day had seen the reunion of the gang at the Whitethorne house. Despite their differing lives, which had led to drifting over the years, everyone managed to find the time to attend - even Rapunzel's boyfriend Eugene, who recently finished a six month sentence in jail.

 _(His crime, ironically, was petty theft.)_

And Anna's vocal reaction was mirrored by the gang, upon learning the details of Jack's innocence. Six faces gaped back at Elsa, six jaws hit the floor.

Hiccup was unfazed, which struck Elsa as odd. Relaxing into Elsa's couch with his arm draped over Astrid's shoulders, he was the personification of ' _saw that coming'._

"So lemme get this straight," Merida said, once her face remembered how to frown. "Hans stole and pawned tha ring, then made Jack take tha fall, just so he could get inta yer pants?"

"And my money, I suspect," Elsa added from her position of the single leather chair opposite Astrid.

"I'm gonna kill him," Anna snarled through gritted teeth, and made to rise from the second couch and march to the door.

Kristoff shot up and put himself in front of her, hands splayed open in a calming gesture. "Whoa, feistypants. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"He's right," Hiccup said. "Statute of limitations ran out two years ago. He can't be legally charged with the crime."

"Then I'll do something _illegal!"_ Anna snapped. "He can't get away with this!"

Elsa held up a hand. "Anna, the last thing I want is for you to be arrested for something rash. Please, sit."

"But-"

"Hans is nothing to me. He does not matter anymore, and I refuse to let anyone's actions be dictated by how many pieces in which they would like to see him. Okay?"

Anna stared at her in bewilderment for a few moments, and then huffed as she - somewhat petulantly - returned to her seat. "I just hate that he's gonna get away with it," she sighed.

"He already did." Elsa scratched at her temple, and dropped her gaze. "I was stupid enough to be fooled by him, so what happened is on me."

"It's on _all_ of us," Rapunzel chimed in, though Elsa noticed by her frowning expression she was still having issues believing it. "He managed to dupe _all_ of us."

"And we turned our backs on Jack," added Astrid, whose forehead was supported by her left hand as she leaned on the couch's armrest. "I thought Hans would be good for you. I thought I was a good judge of character…"

"Stormfly," Hiccup said, "I love you, but you are a _horrible_ judge of character."

Astrid gave him a _ha-ha_ sneer. "Yes, Hiccup, thank you for reminding me how I was wrong about _two_ people."

"You're welcome," he chuckled, before addressing the entire group, "and if it pleases the court, I would like to state for the record - I did warn you all we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Yes, you did," said Elsa with a solemn tone, "and I think we can all agree that, as friends, we failed Jack. I… failed him."

"We forgot the basic tenet of this country's justice system," Kristoff piped up. "Innocent until proven guilty."

Merida nodded glumly. "Ta think that if just one of us went to ta pawn shop ta find out fer sure, this'd've all been cleared up."

 _(Elsa would have been happily married to Jack.)_

"Question is," Eugene said as he held Rapunzel into the crook of his right arm, "what're we gonna do about it?"

Elsa straightened in her chair, and lifted her chin. "Firstly, I am going to visit the court and petition for divorce."

"But Hans will be in DC tomorrow," Anna pointed out. "He could make trouble for you."

There was a sound of fabric shuffling against leather - Astrid had moved to a position where her elbows rested on her knees, and stared at Elsa with glaring resolve. "Not a problem. I have a game in DC next week. I'll serve him the respondent papers myself."

Elsa frowned, though the corners of her lips tugged into a smile. "Are you sure?"

Astrid uttered a loud scoff. "After what Hans did to you, and tricking me into accusing Jack? It would be my genuine pleasure."

Merida snorted. "Not like ye needed much convincing-"

"Yes, thank you, Red," Astrid snapped loudly, "that's not at all helpful."

"Secondly," Elsa said abruptly, hoping to avoid a fight, "I am going to try again to talk to Jack. I want him to know how sorry I am-and how much I regret everything that happened. I want-need-him to know."

A pregnant silence descended throughout the room. Biting her lower lip to keep her emotions in check, Elsa stared unblinkingly at her thumbs as she fiddled with them. There it was. Her hand had been played, her desires laid bare.

"You still love him, don't you?"

Elsa looked up at her sister. Her sky blue eyes were knowing, sympathetic, expectant. For a few seconds, her younger sister's gaze was arresting, piercing… penetrating.

"I don't think I ever stopped loving him."

There was a sigh from the vicinity of Astrid and Hiccup. The former had flopped let her head rest on the latter's shoulders whilst staring at the floor in thought, but Elsa had spent enough time around Hiccup to know when his mind was at work.

"It's gonna be tough, you know," he told her. "We basically isolated the guy whose biggest fear was being alone. He's probably got a grudge the size of Gaston's ego."

"But it can be done," Anna piped up, hope and brightness in her voice. "We just need to show him. We need something big. Tomorrow."

Elsa looked at her with curiosity. "What did you have in mind?"

Anna's lips tucked into a mischievous smirk. "Rapunzel? We need paint."

"O...kay."

"Kristoff? We need paper. Lots of it."

"Paper. Got it."

Elsa didn't miss how, with her smirk widening, Anna gave an oblivious Astrid a plotting look.

"And a costume."

* * *

 **XV: Crash and Burn**

"Think this is gonna work?"

Elsa took a look at Astrid, who sat in the front passenger seat, scowling heartily at the synthetic pink hair she was angrily pulling at with her fingers. Part of Anna's plan involved Astrid wearing a full clown costume as part of her ' _big thing';_ Astrid had vehemently ixnayed the idea, refusing to look so ridiculous. Hiccup then reminded her that embarrassing herself was the point; Hans had made them all look like fools, and Jack needed to see that - especially as Astrid was the biggest proponent of his guilt.

 _(He then went one further and suggested the pink hair, a colour she despised, earning him squeals of, "Yes!" from Anna and Rapunzel, a glare from Astrid and probably about a year on the couch.)_

From the seat directly behind Elsa, her sister threw in her hat. "It'll work."

"No, it won't," Kristoff said with all the subtlety of a runaway tank, sat beside her. "I get him. He just wants to be alone."

The harsh sound of a hand meeting fabric burst throughout the car, followed by a pained yelp. "No-one wants to be alone," Anna said briskly, "except, maybe, _you."_

Merida took that moment to throw her hat in. "I hafta ask-are ye doin' this fer Jack… or you?"

"For what I threw away," Elsa answered with zero hesitation, her eyes fixed on the end of the street ahead.

"One thing's for sure." Astrid then huffed, and folded her arms whilst glaring through the front windshield. "If any of you breathe a word of this, I'll hunt down and kill you."

"Sure ye will, Chuckles," Merida said amid mocking sniggers.

Astrid twisted around in her seat, and was about to undoubtedly to give Merida a severe verbal bashing - which would have been undone by her bulbous red nose - when Elsa stiffened bolt upright in her seat. Clutching the steering wheel, she felt her heart leap when she spied a dark blue car turning the corner ahead into the street.

She leaned forward and squinted, her heart thumping in her chest as she peered for a better look at the driver - and a gasp burst from her mouth. White hair. "He's here."

"Ah, crap," Astrid muttered.

Elsa felt a prodding in her shoulder. She turned to find Anna, regarding her with an encouraging smile. "Showtime, 'sis. We'll be ready."

Elsa shot her a grateful smile, before turning back. Jack was pulling in. Her moment had come. She could start to make things right. Strengthening air was inhaled through her nose and out of her pursed mouth. She could do it.

Without a second's thought, she opened the door and left the car, feeling the winter breeze bite at her cheeks, rather than the warm air of the car, and suppressed a small shiver. Unaware of her presence, Jack was in the process of getting out as she jogged to meet him, her heart thumping every step of the way, her limbs tense and sensitive with the chill, and her own tense nerves.

He looked up just as he closed the driver door, clutching a worn red backpack, and rolled his eyes almost as soon as they rested upon her.

"I thought I was pretty clear yesterday, Elsa," he said, his pale face radiating ' _unimpressed'._ Even void of smiles and eyes made of ice, he was still as handsome as the day they met.

"I know," she replied, holding up her hands as a placating gesture. "I know-but please, I want you to see something."

"Elsa…"

"Please."

He gazed at her for a few long, _long_ moments, before an exasperated sigh rang out. "Fine," he said wearily, rubbing lines into his forehead. "But make it quick, I've got to prepare for my class tomorrow."

Elsa's lips tugged into a smile. Turning her head towards her car, and Merida's emerald green vehicle behind it, she gave them a thumbs up as a signal, and turned back to Jack.

Regaled by the sounds of several car doors opening and closing, and the footsteps of seven people as they quickly maneuvered into position, Elsa watched Jack's face like a hawk. She wanted to see every tic, every muscle, every way his eyes could change - see if she even had a chance.

"What do you think?" she asked, once the shuffling of footsteps and urgent hissed whispers ceased.

He tilted his head an inch, whilst a bemused frown crossed his face. His left eyebrow arched. "I think you guys need to attend my elementary class."

Elsa furrowed her brow, confused by the obscurity of his reply. With a dip of his head and a pointed gesture of his eyes, she was directed to the gang.

Seven pairs of eyes gazing back at them, seven pairs of hands holding up nine large posters with a long apology painted in vivid blue - except, Rapunzel was holding her two posters in the wrong order.

 _WE'RE SRORY_

Elsa's eyed widened to their limit. Of all the things to go wrong, it had to be a case of spelling errors! Hissing through clenched teeth, she issued a series of wild, frustrated gesticulations to Rapunzel - who looked back in bewilderment and then down at her posters.

She heard a hiss of, "Crap!", and the shuffling of paper. The lightest of chuckles from his throat could be picked up, but they felt half-hearted, spiritless.

"Why are you here?" he said, his words riding on a sigh. "Was this supposed to make me feel better? 'Cause...well, it's not."

And just that, her hope began to evaporate. Her smile slowly fell, and a dull ache pulsed through her heart, stronger and stronger with each beat. Left hand crossing her chest to clutch at her upper right arm, she said with a sorrowful, glum voice, "I...we...just wanted to show you we know how much we screwed up… and that we're sorry."

"And you think-" Jack began in a harsh snap, but his gaze - and his face - seemed to soften. "-and you think having a bunch of my ex-friends in a line with some posters is gonna make it right?"

"It's a start… I just wanted a chance for us-" She hesitated. She did want another chance with him. She wanted to hold and kiss him, to heal the damage she wrought. That much was clear. "-a chance for us to talk."

It was the truth, but one of many.

Stars above, it was so hard to look him in the eyes, to see five years of pain and confusion break through his mask of stubborn composure. He stared at her, his shoulders rising and falling like a stormy sea with each breath he took.

"Do you know what happened to me after you broke up with me?"

Elsa wore a guilty cringe, and her strength waned to the point she could not stop her gaze from falling. "We abandoned you."

Jack shook his head. "Yeah, but it got worse. Rumours spread around college that I stole your ring. People started avoiding me, giving me the stinkeye, whispering behind my back. ' _There's Jack. Make sure he doesn't steal your wallet like he stole Elsa's ring'._ Something went missing in college, I was the first one everyone suspected. No-one helped me with my work. Everyone judged me for something I didn't do… Elsa, I was invisible. I was alone, and no-one could tell me why, 'cause no-one would talk to me."

"I had no idea," Elsa murmured weakly.

"No, you didn't." He rolled his shoulder back to adjust the strap, and then leaned down just as he did the day before. "How was your wedding?"

"Hollow," she responded almost instantly as she looked up at him, emphasis in her voice despite its wavering strength. "Full of lies. A mistake I wish I could undo."

"So do I," he said - and then a cringe crossed his sculpted features. The kind of cringe one does when something is let slip. Taking a deep, quiet breath, he tilted his head and tried to adopt a more composed expression. "I only ask, 'cause I wasn't invited. When you celebrated your graduation with a party, with all your friends, I celebrated mine with Chinese takeout, soda and reruns of _Law and Order._ Five years of birthdays and Christmases, it was just my sister and I."

Her voice was pleading, hopeful. Her left hand clenched into a loose fist. She took a step forward, and gazed into his eyes through her own shimmering blues. "I know. I know I hurt you. I did a horrible thing, and I'm sorry. Please give me a chance to make this right. Please."

He snorted quietly, but when he spoke - despite his words turning her heart into a pulsing organ of agony - it was as though his own heart was breaking. "Look, you get points for Astrid's getup - and if I wasn't so tired, I'd laugh… but, you see, what annoys me is you've got Eugene there who's done time for stealing-" he threw an exasperated hand in the direction of the blue 'Y' "-and you were all happy to forgive him and trust him, but me? Just because I played a few pranks every now and then? Did you _honestly_ think that little of me?"

His brow peaked, like he was pleading for understanding, to make sense of all that had happened. Elsa's heart clenched like it was in a vice when he whispered, full of what sounded like despair, "Did you even _love_ me?"

The precision of his words robbing her of the ability to speak, Elsa remained quiet. Sure, the group had more than a few choice words for Eugene's behaviour, and Astrid had threatened to bury him if he ever put Rapunzel through such stress and heartache again… but she couldn't deny the hypocrisy.

And she couldn't deny her love.

Jack exhaled a breath. He looked wide awake, vibrant and alert, but there was a weariness behind his eyes for all of one second before they were clamped shut whilst he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, Elsa, but this isn't something you can make right with human bunting and a clown costume. You said it yourself, in your house-"

"Don't say it, Jack. I need another chance. I miss you so-"

"We're over, Elsa."

* * *

 **XVI. Not Giving Up**

The mood in Elsa's house was deflated and downtrodden. Barely holding it in during the drive home, the first thing Elsa had done was rush up to her room and descend into a numb trance, his words going around and around her mind. With a pillow clutched to her chest like she was back in high school, and her knees drawn up for good measure, she stared at the framed ' _selfie'_ of her and Jack at a beach in California. She remembered it well; she wore an ice blue bikini and he had navy blue shorts, they posed for a selfie and Jack, with his trademark mischievous smirk, popped two fingers behind her head.

Happy times, laid low.

So, was that truly it, then? Had the sun set on the romance of the ' _childish, immature, chaotic'_ Jack Frost and the ' _mature, regal, adult'_ Elsa Whitethorne?

 _(The less she referred to herself as Westergard, the less she wanted to spent an hour in the shower with bleach and a scourer.)_

Maybe it was what she deserved. After all, any attempt by him to talk to her was met by a locked door, a brush off or a threat to call the authorities. Maybe too much damage had been done, it was too little, five years too late. Jack had moved on, and she was left behind with the guilt, and the _what-might-have-been._

But his face, his expression when the cold composure slipped for a few seconds - it was like her own desires and hopes were mirrored in his eyes. The spark was still there, it had to be, but something was holding him back.

 _(It had to be.)_

A quick, jovial set of knocks emanated from the bedroom door, a second before it opened to reveal Anna - clutching two round tubs of ice cream stacked in her left hand, and two spoons in the other, a sympathetic expression on her youthful, rosy features.

"Hey," she said softly. "Thought you could use some comfort food."

"Did I mention I love you, Anna?" said Elsa as she tossed aside the pillow, and pulled herself up to sit cross-legged against the headboard.

"You're gonna love me even more." Anna clambered onto the luxuriously soft bed, mirroring Elsa's position, and passed her one of the tubs. Elsa read the label. She was right. Chocolate ice cream with caramel rippling.

"Toothiana may have a thing or two to say about this," she said as she pried off the lid. Not that she cared.

"Meh." Anna was already digging in, her spoon already on its way for a second scoop. "I think, after today, any dentist would give you a free pass."

Elsa giggled in spite of her heartache, and proceeded to avail herself of the heavenly, chocolate and caramel flavoured comfort. The sisters ate in reflective quiet, and little by little, Elsa's dull ache subsided.

She glanced up at Anna, whose strawberry blonde braids rested happily on her shoulders as she ate, staring in thought at one of the myriad snowflakes embroidered on the comforter. "What are you thinking about, Anna?" she asked.

Anna looked up, and the left corner of her lips curled into a smile made wry by the look in her eyes. "I was just thinking that this has happened before, five years ago, about the same guy. You hiding in your room, and me bringing you chocolate and caramel ice cream."

Elsa winced. "Deja vu, huh?" She popped another spoonful onto her tongue, savouring the deliciously sweet taste before swallowing, and asked, "Is everyone okay? I really should have been a more attentive host."

Anna shrugged, and waved her spoon hand as if to say ' _forget about it'._ "They're fine. They left about ten minutes ago, figuring you needed space. Pretty sure Eugene's on the couch for a year, though."

Elsa frowned, and tilted her head as a silent request for explanation.

"Astrid was fuming that she went to all that effort of looking like a clown, only for us to crash and burn. So Eugene tried to make a joke that she could wear it in bed with Hiccup."

Elsa winced. "I'm sure such an inappropriate remark went down well."

Anna hummed in pained agreement. "Like the Hindenburg. Astrid threatened to kill him, and Rapunzel perfected her famous Gibbs head slap." She swallowed another obscenely large spoonful. "How 'bout you?"

Elsa's mouth tugged into an awkward, self-effacing smile. "The day Jack and I started talking."

Anna's eyebrows rose and she shuffled forward, peering with bright, inquisitive eyes. It felt like Elsa was the storyteller, famed for her tales of romance, adventure and intrigue, and Anna was her audience.

"We were in high school. Our teacher was delayed for an hour, and the class was becoming restless - and when that happened, things were broken. So Jack decided to entertain them the only way he knew how: with fun. He borrowed two pool noodles from the gym, commandeered two office chairs from the classroom, and used them to joust with Hawkins."

"Sir Jack the School Knight?" Anna sniggered.

Elsa smiled widely in reflective warmth. "Precisely - he lost most jousts, but every time it happened, the entire class laughed and cheered, and he would always look at me with this lopsided grin… like it wasn't for the class… it was for me. I began to wonder, what does he see in me, that he wants to impress me so?"

"Beautiful, intelligent, confident on the outside but wracked with projectable self-doubt over being Daddy's perfect girl so you can make him proud, even in death, by going into the family architecture firm," Anna said with the epitome of dry nonchalance, her expression barely above deadpan. "I could go on."

Elsa narrowed her eyes with a sneer. "Ha-ha. I tried to ignore it, but his persistence was… intriguing. So, once his subsequent and well-deserved detention was over, I resolved to find out why he was so tenaciously intent on impressing me, and he said, ' _Every time I was knocked on my ass, you smiled. So I purposely lost every time, just to see you smile again'._ I think that was the moment I felt the spark between us."

Anna stared at her with wide eyes, her puffed cheeks blushing as red as Elsa's, and a cute ' _awww'_ emanated from behind the spoon in her lips.

Smiling bashfully, Elsa dipped her head in a daft attempt to conceal it. "We quickly became friends, and as we grew closer, I decided that as he went to such lengths to get my attention, it was only fair that I should be the one to make the first move. So I asked him out on our first date."

"Equality for the win," Anna said, beaming. "His persistence paid off."

Nodding, Elsa said, "Yes, it did." As her mind sifted through the happy memories, her heart felt the ache pulse within it once more, clawing at her chest and soul like a pernicious, painful chill. Her recollections turned into ones of anger, darkness and defeated expressions. Her smile slowly became a line, and her voice became hollow. "Every day for a month, he was at my door, knocking, just for a chance to talk. Even when it was raining, or thundering, he was there for hours at a time. He never gave up on me even when I gave up on him, until I threatened him with legal action."

It then hit her, like a bolt of lightning that burst through her window and into her heart, what she needed to do. "It's only fair…" she murmured, frowning as the seeds of a silly idea began to root.

"Wait. I know that look."

Elsa looked up through her eyebrows at her sister. "Do you know why I despise romantic comedies?"

Anna shrugged, and scoffed another spoonful. "Um, 'cause they're unoriginal, derivative and awesome?"

"No." Elsa shook her head as she slid to the edge of the bed. "It's because nine times out of ten, it's the man that makes the mistake. It's the man that has to run to the airport, sing at a high school football practice, beg for forgiveness. We make mistakes, too - and I intend to fix mine."

A spoon was pointed in her direction as a warning. "Heyheyhey! You leave _Ten Things I Hate About You_ out of this!"

"It's an entertaining movie-" Elsa held up a placating hand as she stood, "-but the point is; you're right, this has happened before. I spent so much time holed up in this room, I allowed happiness and the love of my life to pass me by when I could have done something about it. Not again. I'm not giving up on him."

Anna darted over to pick up the precariously vertical tub Elsa had absent-mindedly left on the bed. The chocolate stain would have been murder. "Why don't you try and move on?"

Elsa didn't even look back as she marched to the huge wardrobe opposite the bed. "I tried that once, Anna, and it got me five years of unhappiness with a liar. No, I'm going to knock on his door, and I won't stop until he caves."

"He could call the cops," Anna said as she dug several gouges into her ice cream.

"Then they'll have to drag me away-" Elsa pulled her jacket out of the closet and pulled it on, "-and I'll just come straight back. I refuse to give up."

"That's my sister," Anna said, full of pride.

Elsa felt a smile tug at her lips. Once a few jerks of the jacket had rectified the momentary discomfort, she strode over to clamber on the bed, and pulled Anna into a tight, grateful hug. "Thank you, Anna, for being my sister. Even when I was screwing up, you always looked out for me."

Once she pulled back, Anna gave her an incredulous frown coupled marvellously with a teasing smirk. "What did you think I was going to do? Wait, don't answer that." She made a shooing gesture with her spoon. "Now, scoot! Go get your man!"

Elsa didn't need telling twice.

* * *

 **XVII. Fear**

For the next week, Elsa was at his door, her knuckles announcing a rhythm. When it was her lunch break, she would knock to speak to Emma. When she finished work, she would be there, knocking.

Even when she received nothing but silence, or an annoyed yell of, "Go away!" she stayed, undeterred. Her mind would implore her to give up.

 _He's not interested,_ it would say. _Just save yourself the pain._

She ignored it every time. She listened to her heart, which beseeched her to stay. Which told her it would be worth it, in the end.

So, for that week, whenever she had free time - she knocked. Sometimes she stayed outside his door for a few hours, waiting. Jack sometimes annoyed her into submission - it was only fair that she annoyed him… and on the seventh day, everything changed.

Having finished her thirty-fourth set of knocks at seven in the evening, with the sky darkening overhead, Elsa took two steps away from the door and parked herself on the little step that led to the house, where the path met paving stone. She had done this before; knock a few times, and then sit and wait, watching the world go by. Work she took home was done on that step, as were fifteen levels of a hidden object game on her phone.

As she browsed her Facebook app, noting the trending posts supporting the Arendelle City Banshees women's football team in their upcoming game against Burgess Raiders - Astrid, being a Banshee, was likely responsible for stirring up the support - she heard footsteps approaching along the sidewalk to the left. That was nothing special - at seven, there was a regular-as-clockwork elderly couple that walked their dog… who consistently held each other's hands.

"You really don't give up, do you?"

Except, that was not the voice of the elderly couple, the man or the woman. Startled, Elsa looked up from her phone - straight into the eyes of Emma, standing at the bottom of their path whilst clutching a paper bag of groceries in her left arm. Elsa felt a flash of uncertainty in her spine that spread through to her limbs and paralysed her - the last meeting they had ended in a threat to ' _knock her ass on the sidewalk'._ Who knew what was going through Emma's mind, as she stared into Elsa's ice blues with… an amused expression?

She inclined her head toward the step. "Scootch over, or do I have to ask to sit on my own step?"

Elsa's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, before her brain reminded her she was actually in the real world, and not a parallel universe. "Oh-sorry," she stammered, and shuffled a few inches to the right. Emma chuckled quietly to herself as she walked over to the step, and with a tired sigh, plonked herself down beside her and rested the paper bag at her feet. "Chocolate?" she asked, offering Elsa an already opened packet once it was plucked from inside the bag.

"Oh… thank you," Elsa said, her voice wavering in surprise. She took one of the chocolates and instantly popped it into her mouth, anxious not to antagonise the _seriously_ protective sister. The entire left side of her body was already tensed for physical violence, thank you very much.

Hershey's Kiss. Huh.

"I love chocolate," Emma said to no-one in particular, her right cheek bulging slightly as she tossed the packet back into its previous place of safety. "Almost as much as I love my brother."

"I understand," Elsa said softly, "though I am not sure who would win if it came to my sister versus chocolate and caramel ice cream."

Emma scrunched her nose. "Your sister, definitely. Hate chocolate and caramel. Give me mint choc chip any day."

The silence of the street that descended upon them, broken only by the occasional car passing though, meant that every breath Emma took through her nose sounded like a howling wind. Silence she broke, in the strangest way.

"Three days ago, Jack and I had an argument." Elsa looked at her, and was met with searching, assessing hazel eyes. "I wanted to take a restraining order out against you." Elsa's gaze fell, and the punch her heart administered to her ribcage was _wholly_ unnecessary. "But Jack convinced me not to. He said that you were only doing what he was doing. I admired his stubborn persistence when you two broke up… so by that logic, as much as I hate to admit it, I admire yours. Many people would have given up on the second day - here you are, on the seventh."

Elsa smiled to herself. "My father taught me that you have to grab what makes you happy and never let go, and if it does slip through your fingers, stop at nothing until you get it back."

"S'good advice," Emma said with a casual air. Her eyes fell to the left, and her brows furrowed in thought. Elsa watched her, sensing the presence of two conflicting thoughts in Emma's mind, like she was at war with herself over how to proceed.

"Look," she said, breaking the silence abruptly enough to make Elsa flinch, "any other day, I would have told you to go to hell-but you've been here for how long?"

"Three hours," Elsa answered without hesitation.

Emma looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Damn." She blinked, and shook away the surprise. "Okay, you've been here, on and off, for a week. So I'd say you've earned the chance to understand some things. You ready?"

Elsa shuffled around to face Emma more clearly, and gazed unblinkingly at her, intent on not missing a word. "Yes. Please, tell me."

Lips quirking to the right, the debate raged on in Emma's mind. Elsa's heart stilled in her chest, as though even the sound of her pulse could make her miss something critical. She stared at her, impatiently awaiting the moment it could all make sense.

"I think my brother still loves you," Emma said, finally breaking the silence with words that made Elsa's heart leap for joy in her chest - almost bursting in the process. A ragged sigh of relief rang out from her mouth. "I don't think he ever stopped," Emma continued, "and I know it, because he doesn't talk about you. Whenever your name comes up, he changes the subject. If there's something that reminds him of you, he pretends it's not there. I can see it in his eyes. He wants you back."

"He still loves me," Elsa whispered. It sounded too good to be true. Her right hand went up to rest over her heart as she looked away, whether it was to calm her heart or simply feel it beat, she didn't know. What she _was_ aware of was the position of the corner of her lips near her ears.

"But-" Emma held up a hand, and her voice was a crack of thunder that jarred Elsa out of her elated trance, "-he's scared. He's not gonna admit it - probably some manly thing - but he's absolutely terrified. My brother cares very much what people - what _you -_ think of him, so when you broke up with him in front of everyone, you didn't just hurt him - you humiliated him. In front of his friends, and then the college. Jack would rather feel the pain of missing and loving you now, than risk feeling the pain of being alone and unloved all over again."

The joy of hearing his true feelings had been beaten and cast aside by a ten ton iron weight of guilt in her stomach, and a yearning compulsion to kick his door down, pull him into her arms and heal the pain. Her eyes went to the blue door, ignoring the inconveniently timed lump in her throat, and briefly debated the best place to apply her foot.

"Hey," Emma softly called, drawing Elsa's attention right back to her. "I know what you're trying to do, and I'll give you props for not giving up… but knocking ain't gonna cut it. If you want him to listen to what you have to say, you need to get his attention."

Elsa leaned forward, hanging on every word like it was sorely needed ammunition for a war. "How do I do that?"

Shrugging, Emma pushed herself to her feet with one hand, and picked up the paper bag with the other. "What do I look like, a glorified plot device to give the main character exactly what they need? All I know is, you gotta go big-"

"-or go home." Elsa smiled to herself as a quiet, gentle snort burst from her nose. "His motto."

"Bingo. Just…" Emma trailed off, as though her words - and indeed, the topic of conversation in its entirety - were physically aching her. She looked tired, ready for the day to be over. "Just...my brother puts on a brave face, but in his heart, he feels alone. Show him he's not."

With little more than a quiet, "Good luck," Emma left Elsa on the step. Staring at the path, Elsa heard the door open and close, as well as the wholly unnecessary slide of the lock. She wasn't going to knock again tonight - she had too much to think about.

"Something big, to show him he's not alone," Elsa murmured to herself. "Something big. Something-"

Her body stiffened bolt upright. Her eyes widened to their limit, and a loud gasp tore its way into the air. An idea… an idea so ridiculous, so embarrassing, so _big…_ it just might work. It would get his attention, and he'd have no choice but to listen.

Neither would the city of Arendelle, of course, but that mattered little in Elsa's mind. She had a _plan._

Quickly scrolling through the contacts on her phone as she rose from the step, she tapped on Astrid's contact details as she strode to her car, feeling the cold night air bite at her cheeks and ears. The cold seldom annoyed her, and it had no chance today. Yanking open her driver side door, she slid into the car just as Astrid answered the phone.

"Hello, Astrid? Yes, it's me. Well, firstly I want to apologise for my poor hosting skills last week and… okay, thanks. The other thing is… are the Banshees are playing the Raiders at home or away? Home-are you sure? Excellent. Now, I'd like to ask a big, big favour…"

* * *

 **XVIII. Something Bigger**

Elsa would be lying if she said she didn't expect that kind of turnout for the Banshees vs Raiders game, but the roar of the stadium chanting, "Banshees!" and hammering the seats three times over and over again in an unbreakable rousing rhythm filled her heart and body with tense anxiety. Shaking, sweat-covered hands were wrapped around the microphone as she clutched it against her chest, and she twisted it in her palms not unlike a Chinese burn. Her heart thumped in her chest hard enough to bruise her ribcage, and her limbs were void of strength.

Still, she wanted this. One whole week of planning, of cajoling officials and pleading for time-

 _(Astrid had made a deal with the top organiser that, to allow what was about to happen, she had to drop by his daughter's birthday party next year, as she was her hero. Astrid said she would be there for five of them.)_

-and it all came down to the moment where Elsa was stood in the tunnel where the players would be jogging through in fifteen minutes time. She paced a horizontal line across the tunnel, chanting a mantra to herself. She could do this. She _had to._ Focusing on her upcoming stunt, she tried to block out the sound of the crowd - it could all go horribly wrong.

They could bray and clamour, jeer and howl. She could rise and fly, or crash and burn in a heap of humiliation and embarrassment… but then again, the risk was the whole point.

Footsteps echoed through the tunnel. Hypersensitive to the sound, Elsa's head whipped up to the source - Anna, striding toward her with a proud grin cutting her lips, wearing a white and blue Banshees top, with black leggings and dark blue sneakers. A direct contrast to Elsa's more sedate leather jacket, ice-blue top and black pants.

"He's here," Anna announced once she was within earshot. "Kristoff just called to say he spied him. Twelve o'clock high from the tunnel."

"H-he is?" Elsa said, breathless from nerves. "H-how did you manage to get him here?"

"Oh, I didn't." Anna grasped her hand, and held it tightly. The shaking slowly ceased with her sister's comfort. "Emma did. We had a nice sister-to-sister chat, about how we were both watching our elder siblings mope around in pain, and that it was our duty as annoying younger sisters to knock their heads together. Needless to say, we were on the same page."

Elsa bit her lip to hold back the welling of tears in the lower lids of her icy blues - so much so, that she almost tasted blood with how much pressure it took. She made an adorably cute, faint squeak, and threw her arms around Anna. "Thank you," she whispered, squeezing so tight that Anna's next words were wheezed.

"No… problem…"

"Hey!"

Both women released each other, and turned their attention to the mouth of the tunnel where a rotund man stood, wearing a black baseball cap under a microphone headset, gesturing for her to approach. "Get ready, they're about to call you on."

Anna gave her a beam and a wink. "I'm gonna go find my seat. Knock 'em dead, 'sis."

She gave Elsa a quick pat on the back and a quicker peck on the cheek before disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel. Staring out at the blindingly bright lights and vibrant green field, Elsa took several deep breaths to steel herself. In, out. In, out.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Raiders and Banshees fans! Welcome to a night of action, passion and - the most important thing - great football!"_

The crowd roared with deafening delight. Elsa felt the ground _shake_ beneath her feet… it didn't help her nerves.

" _Now, I know you wanna get right to the game, and see the Banshees show us why they're the best… but we have a fan in the tunnels, who has a message for a special someone in the stadium. I guarantee you - this is gonna be something."_

"Time to shine," Elsa murmured to herself.

" _Please give a warm, Arendelle City welcome to Elsa Whitethorne!"_

The stadium cheered and howled, loud enough for Elsa to wonder if her eardrums would ever work to their full potential again. Her expression like a startled deer, she glanced at the portly man, who was busy waving her on with obvious frustration. Another breath. In, out.

She took the first step. The second. The third. The tunnel in her peripheral vision was pulled aside like a curtain to reveal beaming lights and a host of colours, and before she knew it, she was halfway across the artificial field toward the small blue mat in the middle. She looked up and around at the seats - the stadium was _full._ Poster and signs dotted the carpet of spectators, with a sea of blue and a small patch of red.

Slowly, the crowd fell silent. Her heart beat a vicious wardrum, and were she not as tense as a violin string, she might have fainted. With a weak, shaking hand, she raised the microphone to her lips.

"H-hello…" she said faintly. "My name is… E-elsa Whitethorne…"

It hit her, when her small voice radiated from every speaker in the stadium, what she was about to do. Everyone could hear her speak. Everyone would hear her bare her soul, _see_ her open herself up. She had no privacy. She was _exposed._

Fear became her enemy.

It couldn't be happening. Her strength was failing her, abandoning her to the potentially vicious crowd for the tunnels from whence she came. Her throat closed up on her, and her mind went blank. She was losing her bottle, right there, in front of thousands of people. She couldn't _speak._

However, Anna could… and _did._ Hypersensitive to her sister's voice, she heard her cry, "Elsa!" at the top of her voice.

Again.

And again.

Over and over again.

A male voice joined her. Then another. Then another. Soon, it was a small crowd of voices - then, a bigger crowd. Soon after _that,_ the entire stadium was roaring her name over and over again.

It was like her mind was re-engaging herself, with two thoughts sharing first place. One, a mental reminder to buy Anna a week's worth of chocolate in thanks… and the second - was Jack calling her name, too? Her heart jumped back into rhythm, and the strength of a city began to flow through her veins. Arendelle was on her side. She straightened up, rolled her shoulders back, and gave it her best shot.

"Those of you who know me, know that potentially making an ass of myself in such a public place as a football stadium is the last thing I'd do. You'd be right. I'm terrified, I'm freaking out inside, and I'm close to running off the field and hiding for the rest of my life."

She let the microphone fall from her lips, taking a moment to run the tip of her tongue over them and dip them in and out of her mouth. The crowd remained silent as the grave, hanging on her every word. Twelve o'clock high.

"But I'm not going to do that," she continued. "There is someone here who is very special to me, who understandably hasn't given me a chance to explain, and I am _desperate_ for him to know how much he means to me. So I stand here, tonight, to tell you all about a mistake I made that cost me dearly."

"Five years ago, I accused the man I loved of stealing something very precious to me. I doubted his innocence, believing _he_ was the culprit. In my misguided rage, I ended our relationship, shut him out and never wanted to see him again. I even threatened him with a restraining order, when all he wanted was a chance to talk."

Even with the pin-drop silence, Elsa's strength built and built. Her breathing was deep, but controlled. Her heart thumping, but calm.

"A few weeks ago, I found out this man was innocent, and that I ruined his life. My friends and I had turned our backs on him, and I blindly married the very person who framed him. As you can imagine, I am divorcing this person, and he is persona non grata to me."

Then came the moment she had been waiting weeks for, that she had knocked on his door for. He couldn't avoid it this time. He had no choice but to look and listen - especially since the huge television fixed high above her was blasting out her face in glorious high definition.

It even showed the tear sliding down her left cheek in astounding detail - if exposing herself in front of people was what she had to do, she was certainly doing it.

And her voice was certainly breaking. "I am here, now, to tell this man-this wonderful man-I am sorry. I ruined your life. I hurt you so, so much. I let my doubts over myself and you rule my mind, and accused you of a crime you did not commit. I took your love for me, took your heart, and tore it to shreds. I will forever bear the guilt and responsibility. I regret everything I said, everything I did, and you deserved better. You _deserve_ better."

She took a deep breath; it was time for the money shot, the Hail Mary. She looked up, twelve o'clock high - she couldn't see him, but he could see her. That was enough. "If you still want to hate me, that's fine. It's no more than I deserve… but I want you to know that if there is forgiveness in your heart, I will do all I can to earn it."

The stadium was still. Neither the Banshees nor Raiders fans dared say a word, so rapt were they. Much like Anna in her bedroom.

"Finally, I just want you to know that no matter what, even if you despise me, I will always love you."

"And I am so, so sorry." Smiling awkwardly, she gave a nervous wave and prepared to hold herself back from sprinting off the field. "Uh… thank you, everyone. Go Banshees!"

The crowd erupted into roars of glee and support that shook the ground and deafened her ears, whilst igniting fires of hope in her heart. She had done her part. Now it was up to him.

* * *

 **XIX. Trending**

The mood of the group as they all walked out of the stadium's main doors was nothing short of elated - which wasn't surprising since the Banshees had mercilessly dominated the Raiders. An early point lead had stretched to a score chasm, and by the end of the game, it was like the Raiders had given up. Such buoyant delight kept Elsa's spirits firmly in space, especially since she was still riding high on the adrenaline of the game - _and_ from her speech.

 _(When she had taken her seat, a young teenage boy had whispered his hopes it would work out for her.)_

"Did you _see_ Astrid's last touchdown?!" Anna squealed, grasping at Kristoff's denim jacket and tugging him towards her in her exuberant delight. "It was amazing!"

"Hell yeah," Merida said, a grin alighting her face like Christmas morning. She made a gesture as though her left hand was taking off. "She just ploughed through Cupcake like she wasn't even there."

"Don't forget Seventy-Two and Seventy-Three!" Rapunzel chimed in.

Merida clicked her fingers and pointed with both hands in her direction. "Cannae forget that. Hangin' onto her like lionesses on a gazelle, and Astrid's like, ' _nope, I'm still a freight train'."_

"Choo-freaking-choo," Kristoff chuckled.

Elsa's smile could be seen from space. Such a fun night had by all, with deafening cheers and chants of Astrid's name. Amusingly, though Hiccup was the epitome of chilled and casual outside of the game, he was a vocal demon as a spectator. There were times where Elsa had to fight off the urge to cover Anna's ears. Images raced through her head as she walked with her hands in her jacket pockets, smiling from ear to ear. All it would take was for one more thing to happen, and the night would be perfect.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go get a hot dog," Eugene said, a little too loudly for it to be considered anything but pointed. Elsa only barely noticed. "Punzie, you coming?"

"I'm not really hungry…"

"Nope. You're coming. As are you, you and you," he said, pointing to Merida, Anna and Kristoff in turn. "My treat. C'mon."

Anna looked bemused. "What about Els-"

"She's not hungry!" Rapunzel had seemingly become infected with whatever urgency was overwhelming her boyfriend, and there was a blur across Elsa's bewildered vision as the small brunette darted across and practically dragged Anna away. Kristoff followed suit, and as he walked across Elsa's path with his head down and his shoulders up, he murmured a quick, "Good luck," as he followed the gang toward the hot dog truck. Had they moved any faster, they would be ticketed.

Blankly she stared after them, her mouth parted in bemused surprise, her hands akimbo as she wondered what the hell just happened. First, they were chatting animatedly about the game, and then all seemed to be struck with hunger at the same time. Shaking her head, she made toward the car - and found out _why_ she was suddenly left alone.

Jack was leaning on her hood, his feet crossed as he perused something on his phone.

Her heart leaped into her throat. He was actually _there._ It had worked. There was only one reason he could be waiting at _her_ car. Could it be he wanted to talk? Maybe it was to further reinforce his desire to be alone. Maybe it was that he was about to put a stop to her tenacity, a final warning that the authorities would be notified if she continued… not that it would work, but still.

Then again, what if it was for a positive outcome? What if her speech had struck a chord, and he was ready to talk?

There was only one way to find out.

He didn't look up when she approached and stopped a few feet away from him, and it wasn't like her footsteps were in any way quiet. In fact, she had intentionally made her approach as loud as possible, short of Riverdance.

"You're here," she said in a spectacular assessment of the obvious… or an affirmation of the hopeful truth, and not a mirage.

He leaned back slightly, his eyes still wrapped up in whatever it was on his phone's screen, and then pushed himself upright. He turned to look at her - and there was no trace of anger, sadness or exasperation on his face. No, there was a twinkle in his eyes, visible even in the dark, and the gentle curl of a smile.

"And _you're_ trending."

He lifted the phone and turned the screen toward her. Frowning, she glanced at the screen in curiosity - and her eyes widened to their limit.

 _MOVING SPEECH AT FOOTBALL GAME_

 _WOMAN OPENS GAME WITH DECLARATION OF LOVE_

 _BANSHEES DOMINATE RAIDERS_

 _(Fan delays game for speech)_

There were a few other news headlines, notably one that would have infuriated Elsa, as it questioned her empowerment and strength as a woman by giving such a speech to a man - she made a mental note to write a strongly-worded complaint to _Huffington Post -_ and each one reinforced the shock that froze her entire body. Her speech had gone viral - not something she had anticipated. It wasn't just thousands of witnesses… it could be _hundreds_ of thousands.

Tomorrow? Millions.

She hadn't just bared her soul to a stadium… but to the entire Internet.

 _(The part of her that valued privacy and reservedness immediately packed its bags and stormed out of the metaphorical door, taking the time to throw her the middle finger in the process.)_

"Not just that-" Jack turned the phone back to scroll and then tap on something with his thumb, before facing it back to her "-but you're on Youtube."

Sure enough, there she was. The camera quality left a lot to be desired, and the stability felt like the person recording her was sat on a washing machine, but even with the distorted sound she could pick out every word she said. With a shaking hand, she lifted a finger to scroll up - and noted the counter below the video.

"Two hundred thousand hits?" she said, her voice weak with surprise and a growing onset of panic. She had been immortalised on the internet. People from all over the world would see her… and there was nothing she could do about it.

It was a notion that granted a sort of peace within her. The choice had been taken away, the situation was out of her hands. It was the kind of acceptance one feels when they've done all they can, and it was up to everyone else, the world, or God. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, and straightened herself upright. No sense worrying about it now - besides, it might work out in her favour. "I'm insulted," she continued, "I expected at _least_ four hundred thousand."

Jack snorted. He pocketed his phone and stared at her for a few moments - even in the horrid artificial lights of the parking lot, his cheeks were still a vivid red - and the snow that began to fall in a lazy, absent-minded way was as white as his hair. "So," he said, abruptly enough to cause her a gentle start - the snowfall had more of her attention than she thought. "Enjoy the game?"

Elsa smiled, and awkwardly turned to glance over her shoulder at the stadium. "Yes, it was entertaining. How about you?"

"Nope." He pouted with a light scoff. "Raiders fan."

Elsa leaned her head back with an, " _ah,"_ of comprehension. He got to watch his favourite team be demolished by hers. Seconds passed with her enduring a complete lack of speech, and Jack seemingly unable to form words of any kind either. Eye contact was marginal, though it sang more of nervousness than contempt. Her heart beat a slow, hard rhythm, and her fingers played with each other as she held them together in front of her. It was like the day she asked him on a date all over again.

"Listen, I-"  
"Listen, I-"

Even down to the spontaneous blurting of words crashing into each other. Elsa's awkward titters mixed with his equally embarrassed chuckle, and she gestured for him to go first. Jack shook his head. "No, you go first."

"Please," she said, holding his eyes for longer than four seconds. New record. "I insist. You first."

"Okay," he sighed, and his right hand reached up to scratch the nape of his neck. He paced a few steps back and forth, before words rushed out of his mouth like a waterfall. "I gotta ask - what possessed you to do that?"

Her lower lip found its way between her teeth, and a strange ache crept up her throat. She looked to the side. "You always said ' _go big or go home',"_ she said. "I humiliated you in front of our friends, so I put myself in an embarrassing position in front of _thousands_." She lamely gestured toward his sweater pocket. "Hundreds of thousands."

He gazed at her, lips parted, eyes searching her for an answer. "But why?"

She looked away to the right and up a few inches, her classic method of holding back a tell-tale moisture in her eyes. It wasn't working, and neither was the pressure of her teeth bearing down on her lower lip.

"Because I love you. I was desperate for us to talk." Her thumb went up to wipe away a tear before it had a chance to slip away. "You wouldn't let me. I just wanted to tell you how I would kill to turn the clocks back and change what happened." She sniffed - it was becoming harder to hold back the tide of her emotions. "I spent years asking myself whether I had done the right thing, whether I was in love with… _him…_ or whether I was still in love with you. And by the time I realised I was so, so wrong… it was five years too late. I had wasted precious time, precious _love,_ on a lie. And that is something I can never get back. I regret that so, so much."

Quiet fell between them. Though her eyes were fixed on a point just above a red sedan in the distance, she could _feel_ his gaze burning into her. God, it hurt so much to speak - but it was a _good_ pain. The kind of pain that occurs when something is removed from the body in the knowledge that, given time, it will heal.

"What do you want, Elsa?" he asked those same words as he had done outside of the house - but they were void of anger, or exasperation. He seemed to _really_ want to know. "And don't hold back."

Her gaze whipped toward him, and though she had utterly failed in her attempt to stymie the tears, she smiled almost _sadly_ at him. "Isn't it obvious?" she said, her voice cracked like a shattered vase. "Us. Together. I know-" she held up a hand when his mouth opened, "-I don't deserve it… but… I can hope."

"I don't know…" he sighed, dipping his head and turning away.

No. She was _so_ close, _so close!_ His eyes, the look in his eyes when the wall of ice was cracking under the weight of his hidden emotions - it was all there. His fear was holding him back, she just _knew_ it. She just had to convince him it was worth the risk - that she would never hurt him like that again. Stepping forward, she reached for him, hovering her right hand over the pocket of his sweater.

"I'm not a queen that can do no wrong, Jack," she blurted. "I'm no figurehead whose face is under the dictionary definition of ' _perfect'._ I'm only human - I make mistakes… and when I do, I try to fix them. I just want a chance to fix one I made five years ago."

He stared down at her, his eyes an equal mess of liquid and red to hers. "Please," she pressed.

His lips dipped in and out of his mouth. His brow dipped and rose a micron.

"Okay."

She stepped back in surprise, and the hand that was hovering over his pocket went up to cover her mouth. Wide-eyed, she stared at him. Did he say that? Did he truly say ' _okay'?_ It was too good to be true, after five years of doubt and three weeks of heartache. Was it true? She searched his eyes for lies, for deceit and falsehood.

 _(And then she remembered his words: "I never lied to you before. I'm not about to start now.")_

"Really?" she whispered.

Jack did a quiet snort, and as his lips tugged into a mildly bigger smile, he nodded. Gasping, her own smile turned into a blinding, lens-shattering beam as she surged forward and threw her around around him. She held him tight enough to kill - after five years, being in his arms, having her arms around him, burying her face in his neck as she gently wept? Felt like the most beautiful thing on earth. He held her close, one hand on her upper back while the other stroked the back of her head - the very sensation weakened her legs with shocking tingles. After so long, she had forgotten what it felt like to be embraced in such a way.

"There's gonna be a condition."

They pulled apart - though, she didn't want to. Still, the wide grin on her face was probably going to be a permanent fixture - especially as he was still holding her right hand in his fingertips. "Of course. Anything. Yes. Oh, my God, you said okay. Yes." She stared at him… and forgot what he'd said. She burst into nervous laughter. "What were we talking about?"

"A condition. If we're gonna be together again, there's gotta be a condition."

"Name it," Elsa said, without hesitation. She'd knock on his door in a clown costume every day, if _that_ was his condition, such was her desire.

"We do this the right way - from the bottom up. That means friends-" his left hand flattened out and sliced to an abrupt stop in the air.

"-dating-"

The hand moved up a few inches.

"-relationship-"

Another few.

"-and then…" he trailed off as, under his gaze, the hand ascended another level. If he was thinking what she was thinking - the logical next step in a human romantic relationship - then the implication was clear. He had optimistic hope.

"I understand," she said softly. "We need to get to know each other all over again."

Jack shrugged as he pocketed his hand, and his left eye narrowed the way it does when something isn't as bad as it seems. "Eh, I'm sure it'll happen faster than we think."

"I hope so," Elsa said.

There was a moment of silence as they gazed at each other, punctuated by the jingle of keys in his pocket. Her eyes inadvertently glanced down at his lips and back up, and she was _sure_ his did the same. A pregnant quiet that held wants and desires within it, but also nerves and fear.

"I-uh-need to get back to the car. Emma's waiting for me," he said, voice soft but awkward.

Though she wouldn't admit it - not _now,_ at least - Elsa felt the faintest disappointment. "O-of course. Give her my regards."

Jack said that he would, and after a lingering look at her lips, he forced himself away and began to walk away from her. Elsa had just barely delved a hand into her jacket for her _own_ keys, when she heard the words:

"Ah, screw it."

-and turned just in time to see Jack marching towards her. "Jack, what-"

His lips found hers. Bewildered by the sudden action, her hands hovering uselessly at her sides Elsa was bereft of the ability to react as she felt him press his lips against hers - until it hit her. He was kissing her.

She melted. Closing her eyes, she gave into the bliss spreading from her heart, moving her mouth in perfect synchronicity with his. Her left arm looped around his neck and her right hand entwined itself with his white hair, little bites of snow nipping at her skin where they had landed. She felt him pull her against him by her waist, and moaned into the kiss - God, how it felt so good. Her mind was blank and lightheaded, her heart doing somersaults, her legs were in danger of giving way… but she was in _heaven._ She missed it so much - the feeling of being kissed by someone she loved. She was intoxicated by the sensations, the taste, the smell. She couldn't get enough.

Slowly, as though the very idea was anathema, he pulled away from her, remaining just within kissing reach. His lips were reddened, his cheeks a delightful crimson. Try as she might, her brain refused to re-engage. Slipping her hands down to rest on his chest, she felt his heart thump under her fingertips, and his chest rose and fell as quickly - and deeply - as hers.

"I thought… we were…" she began, wondering why she bothered even trying to speak.

"Sorry," Jack murmured shakily, "I've been waiting for five years to do that. I just… didn't want to wait any longer."

"That-" she took a moment to calm herself the heck down, "-is okay with me. It means I have another thing to look forward to"

Jack made a noise that suspiciously sounded like ' _phew'._ "Good. Prosecution rests."

Elsa smiled widely. He hadn't let go of her waist - could it mean something? It might be worth a chance. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

Smirking, Jack chuckled. His eyes went off to the side and back again. "I'd say so."

She sighed with released, pent-up emotion and hope. Her fingertips pinched at the fabric of his sweater. "Motion to skip the ' _friends'_ stage?" she joked, pouting a little and swaying on her feet, as though the display would help.

Jack's chest bounced with his silent laughter. "Don't push it. Defendant is on probation." His smile slowly fell, and Elsa felt a stroking sensation up and down her left side. "I've still got a lot to work through, a lot of stuff to let go. Rebuild the trust. But after that little stunt, I'd say you might not have to wait for long."

"I hope not," she murmured. "But I'll wait for as long as it takes."

Jack moved his hands away from her and stepped back. His hands dove into the sweater pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper which he slipped into her left hand. "Gimme a call so I have your number," he said, before they exchanged their goodbyes and parted company.

Elsa watched his back as he pulled up his hood, and sauntered down to the set of cars at the far end of the lot. He seemed to have a spring in his step - she would too, had the distance between her and her car not amounted to little more than three feet.

Still, none could deny the uplifting warmth inside her heart - nor the tingling sensation on her lips as she brushed against them with her fingers.

A piercing whistle rang out in the air. Turning her head with a start - so engrossed was she in imagining the _next_ time they kissed - she caught sight of Anna, her hand thrust into the air, waving like a maniac. Every single member of the group, sans Hiccup and Astrid, wore blinding beams and clapped with gloved fingers.

They'd likely want the details.

Elsa wanted to keep them for herself a little longer.

Oh well - there was no reason they had to know right _now,_ that against all odds, it looked like Jack and Elsa were about to fall in love all over again.

* * *

 **XX. Epilogue**

"I still can't believe you did that, Mama."

Selene's hazel eyes stared up at her in disbelief, which was adorable yet odd as Elsa had lost count of how many times that story had been told to her, and her twin brother Isaac. Sat cross-legged on the floor, the eight-year old girl watched her mother with inquisitive eyes. "When you stood up in the stadium like that…"

"It's so romantic," Isaac sighed.

Selene shot her brother a dirty look. "No it's not! It's sappy and icky and girly."

Isaac scowled and stuck out his tongue.

"Hey, hey." Jack frowned. "What's wrong with being romantic?"

"Heard it at school."

"From who?"

" _Whom,_ Papa," Elsa corrected him.

Jack squinted and mimicked Isaac's tongue-sticking, causing childish giggles to break out from their children. "Gwen said so, Papa." Selene fidgeted in place.

Elsa leaned back on the couch; now it made sense. Gwen was Astrid and Hiccup's daughter, and a chip off the old block.

"Well," Elsa said in a hushed tone, leaning in, "don't tell her I told you this, but Aunty Astrid wanted pink roses for her wedding bouquet."

"Don't forget the bridesmaids had to be in pink," Jack said.

Isaac gasped. "Really?"

"Yes," Elsa said, nodding, "it's true."

"Point is-" Jack patted his lap, and Isaac immediately darted up for a cuddle, "-Boys can be tough, but also romantic."

"And girls can be romantic and tough," added Elsa. Catching her husband's eye, they shared a knowing smile. On the same page, as always.

"Don't let _anyone_ tell you what to believe or feel, no matter who they are or where they come from," Jack said.

"And don't forget: it's okay to believe in love and happy endings. After all," Elsa said, blushing, "I found mine."

Isaac let out a cavernous yawn, and proceeded to rub his left eye. Chuckling, Jack ruffled his messy platinum blonde hair and gently moved him to stand on the floor. "C'mon, you two," he said softly, "give Mama a kiss goodnight."

Elsa's lips curled into a loving, toothy smile as the twins surged into her arms. Stroking Selene's silky white hair, and holding Isaac's little body, she received a kiss on both cheeks. "Goodnight, Mama," they said in sleepy unison.

"Goodnight and sweet dreams," she replied, and kissed them each on the cheek.

Jack took them upstairs moments later. Relaxing into the couch, Elsa let out a contented sigh, and traced her eyes over the mantelpiece ahead of her, gazing at the framed photographs whilst her mind took a trip down Memory Lane.

Three years of friendship, dating and a relationship were made far easier by a night of tears and embraces, where confessions were made of projected self-doubt and wanting to be Daddy's perfect girl, along with admittances that sometimes, just sometimes, one's pranking has to be reined in. It was made even simpler than that as, despite Elsa being relatively more loosened up than in college, and Jack being a lot more responsible than he used to be - though his mischief and pranking had not dimmed in the slightest - they seemed to settle into familiarity. Elsa still liked to be touched in the same places, and a kiss in the right spot turned Jack's entire body into a shuddering mess without fail. It almost felt like nothing had ever happened - so when they married on the fourth year, it was just a natural part of the order of things.

 _(Though, when she did ask what she could do to make up for what she did, Jack answered that there were many things and most of them were reserved for the relationship stage, and probably illegal. The most important thing, he said, was, "Believe in me".)_

Her eyes rested on the wedding photograph, where he stood with his head dipped, resting his forehead and nose against hers. She remembered that day like it was yesterday, full of laughter and joy, smiles and tears - and Astrid, of all people, catching the bouquet.

 _(She did barge Rapunzel out of the way, but still…)_

He wore grey, she wore a stunning white bridal dress, vows were exchanged with honesty and love, conviction and passion, and from the moment she walked the aisle to when they left in the limousine, her heart was close to bursting with joy.

 _This is what a wedding is supposed to be like,_ she remembered thinking as they left the church. _No forced smiles or meaningless gestures - just pure love and companionship._

Not long after that, the Whitethorne house saw Elsa moving out to a new place she bought with Jack - she could have easily bought it on her own, but Jack insisted they do it as a team - whilst Anna and Kristoff remained. However, Jack was deeply concerned and uneasy that Emma would be alone in her place on the outskirts.

Elsa's solution? She move into the Whitethorne House.

Anna was reduced to a squealing, nuclear mess upon hearing she would be moving in. Kristoff? Not so much.

 _(Elsa lost count of how many times he lamented that Anna was spending more time with Emma than him.)_

Then came the news that had Jack in fits of glee, and saw Elsa having to poke him down from the ceiling with a broomstick - despite his overwhelming joy being somewhat infectious - they were going to be parents. Twins, as a later scan told them. Tears, smiles, late night cravings, whispers to voluminous bellies and a hyperattentive Jack - and the occasional argument - filled the nine months, which came to an end with the birth of two healthy babies: Isaac, meaning ' _he who laughs',_ and Selene, after the Greek goddess of the moon.

Elsa's eyes rested on the photograph, taken by Anna, of Jack laid topless with a six-week old Selene on his chest, his head in the lap of Elsa, who held Isaac up against hers. She smiled warmly at the memory, recalling just how happy she was.

A tinge of sadness crept from her heart. Why? She was still as happy as she was then - more so, considering she was getting consistently full nights of sleep. So why, then, did her heart ache?

Footsteps down the stairs caught her attention. She looked over her right shoulder just as Jack walked into the living room, flashing her a doting smile as their eyes met.

"Kids asleep?"

Jack leaned down over her from behind, and buried his face in her neck as he wrapped his arms around her. Humming with satisfaction, she closed her eyes and laced her hands around his crossed forearms. Even his breath against her exposed skin set off a legion of tingles down her entire body. "Yep. Isaac wanted me to check the closet, but it's all good." He planted a delicate kiss on the point her shoulder met her neck, and her breath hitched slightly. "Want some wine?"

"Please," she answered quickly, hoping he would move soon. Any more of that and she was liable to pull him onto the couch by his head and do things. Jack squeezed her once before slipping out of her hold, and she heard his footsteps carry him to the kitchen.

Temporarily abated by her husband's embrace, the heartache returned. She frowned, wondering why it was there in the first place. She had everything she wanted, and the advantage of having Jack as a husband, and Isaac and Selene as their children meant that there was no danger of her life becoming a case of ' _familiarity breeds contempt'._

She figured it out when she noticed the two little cubes sat in the middle of the mantelpiece, each one with a number, and a thin piece of wood under them, all three coming together to denote the date: December 7th.

Her birthday was in two weeks. She was going to be forty.

A forlorn sigh escaped her lips, one she hoped was quiet enough to not alert Jack's attention.

"Hey, you okay?"

Evidently, not quietly enough. Jack circled around the couch and plonked himself by her side, and automatically she unconsciously shuffled against him. Frowning, she stared at the two cubes, whilst accepting the glass of red wine without needing to look. Jack's arm draped over her shoulders, pulling her even closer - his way of saying ' _you're not getting out of this'._

She exhaled a long breath through her nose, and slowly turned her head to gaze at her husband. "What if things were different?"

Jack watched her as he took a sip. "Different… how?"

Her gaze fell and moved back to the cubes. Part of her wished she hadn't opened her mouth - even at forty himself, Jack hadn't lost the tenacity when it came to making sure Elsa was okay, and if she didn't tell him what was wrong, he wouldn't let go until she did.

Frustrating, yet comforting. Sometimes she just wanted to mope.

"If I had made a different choice that day, and not let my doubts control me… what if, instead of turning forty in two weeks-" she took a sip of wine both as a wetting and encouraging action, "-I was turning thirty five?"

She looked back at him. "I'm the happiest I've ever been," she said, her voice cracking under the weight, "but I could have had all of this five years ago. I wasted so much time."

Jack gave her a funny look and a lopsided quirk of the lips, like she was talking rubbish. He leaned over to put the glass on their coffee table - Elsa had him well-trained in ensuring the glass went on a coaster, so he only hesitated for a second - and used his newly free hand to hold hers. Almost instantly, her fingers squeezed his.

"Listen to me," he said, making sure he had her attention. It wasn't hard. "Five years ago, four, three, who cares? You have it now, right? So leave the past where it belongs - in the past."

She smiled wryly, and raised the glass to her lips. "If I had done that, I wouldn't have you," she said, bouncing her eyebrows. Sass Queen, indeed.

Jack chuckled, and leaned forward to press his lips to her forehead. "Did I mention I love you?"

"You might have mentioned it once or twice." She closed her eyes, savouring the sensation. "I could stand to hear it a little more."

Jack chuckled lightly against her skin. "I love you." He repeated it over and over as he traced a line with his lips down the side of her face to her mouth. Elsa held the back of his head to deepen the kiss, and as he gently pushed with his lips in a silent declaration of intent, she lowered herself back as an equally wordless agreement.

"My, Mr. Frost," she said in between gasping breaths, "whatever could be on your mind?"

He emitted a mischievous, throaty chuckle. "Only what's on yours, Mrs. Frost."

Years on, and she still couldn't get enough of hearing that. His kisses went on, along her neck, down her sweater-covered chest, taking care to caress the stretch marks around her abdomen from the pregnancy. When she felt, her eyes having been clamped shut out of bliss, the button of her denim pants being unfastened, she said in a husky voice, "Oh, okay… we're leading with that, are we?"

 _(The glasses of wine weren't touched for the better part of two hours.)_

 _(If at all.)_

 _(Every inch of each other's body, however, was.)_

 _(And, as they lay in a spent, sweating heap on the floor, Elsa never felt so alive-_

 _-nor felt so in love.)_

* * *

 ** _I hope this was worthwhile. Part of me regrets this story. I'm still in two minds about whether to delete it._**

 _ **I kinda needed an inspiration break from OGaV and NH, because I didn't want to burn out. You keep writing the same thing and eventually you get tired of it, and I don't want to get tired of those stories. So, this story and "Agents with Benefits" (M-rated, just so you know) is the product of that. I hope soon to get back into OGaV and Astrid's headspace.**_

 _ **Well, hope you enjoyed.**_

 _ **Furiyan.**_


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